Work Safe Work Smart

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Credits
This curriculum was developed and pilot-tested during 1997-2000 by the Minnesota Depart-
ment of Health (MDH) with grant R01CCR514360 from the National Institute for Occupa-
tional Safety and Health (NIOSH).* MDH is solely responsible for the content.
The following people contributed to the original development of this curriculum:
Minnesota Department of Health

Teresa Hillmer, Center for Occupational Health and Safety
David Parker, Center for Occupational Health and Safety
Cathy Krug, Center for Occupational Health and Safety
Curriculum Development Team

Joe Hook, Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop High School
Jeff Jensen, Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop High School
Joe Miller, Lester Prairie High School
Ilene Nelsen, Meeker, McLeod and Sibley County Public Health Department
Lonnie Otterson, Glencoe High School
Shari Polzin, Sibley East High School
Tim Rice, Eden Valley-Watkins High School
Bob Rick, Litchfield High School
John Smith, Glencoe High School
Curriculum Developers
Sue Thomas, Thomas Learning Consultants
Karlene French-Raschig, Editorial Services
Jim Kiehne, Kiehne Graphics
Timothy Lawless Graphic Studio, Cover, Poster, and ABC Card Design
Curriculum Evaluation
Deborah Hennrikus, University of Minnesota
Peter Hannan, University of Minnesota
Content Reviewers
Roslyn Wade, Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry
Michele Schermann, Farm Safety and Health Program, University of Minnesota
Ray Sinclair, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Pat Bernhoft, Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning
Participating Pilot Test Implementation Schools

Eden Valley-Watkins High School Sibley East High School
Glencoe High School Lester Prairie High School
Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop High School ACGC High School
Participating Pilot Test Control Schools

Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted Public School McLeod-West Public School
Dassel-Cokato Public School Hutchinson Public School
Buffalo Lake-Hector Public School Kimball Public School
Norwood-Young America Public School
*With additional NIOSH support (R01OH004220) during 2000-2004, a subsequent

and expanded evaluation of the curriculum was conducted involving over 4,000
students in18 intervention schools and 20 control schools. For further info:
www.health.state.mn.us/occhealth
Work Safe, Work Smart i Introductory Materials

Other Credits
Portions of this curriculum were adapted from materials developed by the Center for
Occupational and Environmental Health, University of California, Berkeley.
Thanks to the Minnesota Department of Health, Fatality Assessment and Control Evalua-
tion (FACE) program and the Sentinel Event Notification Systems For Occupational Risks
(SENSOR) program for contributions to this curriculum.
Special thanks to the following people, who also assisted in the development and review of
these curriculum materials: Deborah Merchant, Margee Brown, Paul Schiermeier, and
George Wahl, all of the Minnesota Department of Health, and Lee Engfer.
Special Message To Teachers

Each day, countless numbers of teens work in jobs, at which they could potentially be
injured or killed due to unsafe work conditions. This curriculum is designed to address this
issue by raising student awareness of workplace hazards and of the steps one can take to
prevent these hazards from causing injuries. Ultimately, the curriculum’s goal is to reduce
the number of work injuries occurring among youth.
In designing this curriculum, we brought together experts from the field of occupational
health and safety, skilled educators from Minnesota classrooms, and other individuals
concerned about worker safety issues. Many people gave a great deal of their time and
expertise to create this “Work Safe Work Smart” curriculum. The “Teacher Tips” sections
of this curriculum were provided by classroom teachers.
The “Work Safe Work Smart” curriculum is not industry specific. The skills gained in this
program are relevant and transferable to a variety of today’s workplace settings. “Work
Safe Work Smart” is focused on changing teens’ knowledge and attitudes. Students are
empowered with knowledge about worker safety laws, equipped with tools to recognize
safety hazards, and introduced to skills necessary to effectively advocate for safe working
conditions.
For some of you this information may be new; for others, familiar. This curriculum is
designed to support whatever your knowledge and experience level may be. If you want to
learn more about work safety issues, refer to the list of additional online resources at the
end of this curriculum. This list includes resources on government agencies that address
worker safety, child labor laws, other worker safety curricula, and additional educational
resources related to young workers.
We encourage you to have fun and exercise creativity while using this curriculum.
Together, we can help keep our students working safe and working smart.
© 2001, 2012 Minnesota Department of Health. This curriculum may be printed or repro-
duced as needed for educational purposes. The content of this curriculum may not be
changed in any way without written permission of the Minnesota Department of Health.
For additional copies of this curriculum, contact the Minnesota Department of Health,
Center for Occupational Health and Safety at (651) 201-5900 or send an e-mail to
health.workerhealth@state.mn.us. You can also download the curriculum, including any
updates, from our web site: http://www.health.state.mn.us/occhealth
Introductory Materials ii Work Safe, Work Smart

Table Of Contents
Introductory Materials
About This Curriculum ................................................................................... v
Introduction to Worker Safety Issues ........................................................... vii
Unit Framework ............................................................................................. xi
Lesson Description and Preparation ............................................................xvi
The Lessons
Lesson 1: An Introduction to Worker Safety ............................................... 1.1
Lesson 2: Recognizing Workplace Hazards ................................................. 2.1
Lesson 3: Preventing Workplace Injuries and Illnesses ............................. 3.1
Lesson 4: Applying Prevention Strategies in the Workplace–Part I ......... 4.1
Lesson 5: Applying Prevention Strategies in the Workplace–Part II ........ 5.1
Lesson 6: The Importance of Worker Safety Laws ..................................... 6.1
Lesson 7: Worker Safety Laws and You ...................................................... 7.1
Lesson 8: Addressing Unsafe Workplace Conditions .................................. 8.1
Lesson 9: Putting Work Safety into Practice .............................................. 9.1
Additional Materials
Glossary ...................................................................................................... 10.1
Worker Safety and Health Education Resources ...................................... 10.3
Work Safe, Work Smart iii Introductory Materials

Introductory Materials iv Work Safe, Work Smart
About This Curriculum
Goals of the Curriculum
The goals of this curriculum are as follows:
• Raise students’ awareness of workplace hazards that could cause injuries or illnesses.
• Equip students with prevention strategies that will protect them from injuries or illnesses in
a variety of workplace settings.
• Raise students’ awareness of their rights in the workplace and the laws and resources avail-
able to help maintain those rights.
• Encourage students to be active participants in creating safe and healthy work environments.
Intended Audience
The lessons in this curriculum target students in grades 9-12. With some adaptation, these
lessons could also be used with a younger audience.
Key Components of the Curriculum

• The lessons were designed and developed to integrate into existing coursework in social
studies, health, agriculture, or any class that discusses risk reduction. This curricu-
lum also could be taught as an interdisciplinary unit that combines several of these subject
areas.
• This curriculum could be enhanced by combining it with field trips to a variety of workplace
settings. These field trips could involve interviews with workers and evaluations of workplace
hazards and safety measures.
• The lessons focus on higher-order thinking skills, such as decision-making and evalua-
tion, as well as skills in cooperative learning and oral communication.
Lesson Format
This curriculum consists of nine lessons of varying length. Most lessons can be completed
during a 50-minute time period. Some may require more time but can be extended over several
class periods, if desired.
Lessons 1 through 5 explore the health-related issues of workplace hazards and their
prevention. Each lesson deals with the following:
Lesson 1: Students are introduced to the issue of worker safety through a disability exercise
and a discussion about workplace injuries and hazards.
Lesson 2: Students discuss the effect of potential workplace injuries on their lives, brain-
storm a list of different types of workplace hazards, and then map out potential hazards
in a work environment.
Work Safe, Work Smart v Introductory Materials

Lesson 3: Students brainstorm ways to apply the ABC prevention strategies to
example hazards. They also discuss the reasons workers choose to take risks in
the workplace, even when they know hazards are present.
Lesson 4: Students create a workplace safety plan for a simulated work environ-
ment, including developing a hazard map and safety action steps.
Lesson 5: Students present their workplace safety action plans for a simulated
work environment, and unit content is briefly reviewed.
Lessons 6 through 9 explore the legal rights and communication skills re-
lated to addressing workplace safety issues. Each lesson deals with the following:
Lesson 6: Students are introduced to the importance of worker safety laws

through a presentation of their history and by creating laws for simulated case
studies.
Lesson 7: Students review current worker safety laws by playing a game and
discussing some present-day scenarios.
Lesson 8: Students debate the benefits and limitations of worker safety laws and
are taught the basic steps needed to address workplace safety issues.
Lesson 9: Students practice, through a role-play exercise, the basic skills needed
to address workplace safety issues. They also identify unsafe situations at
work or other places in which they could use these skills.
Each lesson includes the following components:

TEACHER TIP: • Fact: Interesting fact that helps put a particular lesson into perspec-
Photocopy all the tive.
unit fact sheets • Description: Brief description of lesson activities.
ahead of time and • Learner Outcomes: Intended cognitive, attitudinal, and behavioral
hand them out in outcomes for the lesson.
a packet at the • Key Concepts: Key ideas presented in the lesson.
beginning of the • Materials Needed: Necessary materials for presenting the lesson,
unit. Optional: including handouts and digital overheads.
Make class copies • Preparation Needed: Necessary steps to prepare for the lesson.
rather than • Directions: Step-by-step instructions for completing the lesson,
individual copies. including a lesson script in bold type.
• Taking It Home: Homework assignments to be completed in prepa-
ration for the next class lesson.
Resources
A glossary and a list of online educational resources on worker safety and health
issues are included at the end of the curriculum.
Introductory Materials vi Work Safe, Work Smart

Introduction to
Worker Safety Issues
This introduction will help prepare you to discuss worker safety issues
with your students. You may wish to use some of this information in your
lessons or reproduce parts of it for interested students.
Why Is Worker Safety an Important Issue?

Most of us will spend almost one-third of our lives working. Although we
work to earn money to live, work can also be rewarding in many ways. It
can be very satisfying to do a job well, to contribute to society, and to be
independent and productive. Work is a big part of most teens’ lives, too. In
the United States, 75% of students are working by 12th grade.1
But work also can be dangerous. Approximately 214 Minnesotans are

injured every day at work. Over 60 Minnesota workers die every year from
work-related injuries.2 Behind each of these numbers lies a personal story.
75% of high
school
Joshua’s Story
Joshua, a seventeen-year-old, enjoyed playing basketball on the local high
seniors are
school team and helping his father on their family farm. Joshua was
operating the combine one summer day, when he noticed that it was already
clogged. Because it was getting late and Joshua was tired, he didn’t bother
turning off the combine before he opened the side of the machine to investi-
gate the clog. Inside the combine, Joshua saw some jammed weeds and
working.
decided to reach his arm in and pull them out. As he began pulling out the
weeds, Joshua’s hand slipped and became entangled in the combine’s
moving belt.
As a result of the accident, Joshua lost the thumb and two fingers of his
right hand, his dominant hand. Joshua spent the rest of the summer in
hospitals and therapy. He had to learn again how to write, eat, dress, and
tie his shoes. Joshua has been feeling depressed and self-conscious about
his injury. He doesn’t know if he’ll be able to play basketball again. Joshua
also wonders how his injury will affect his ability to take over his family’s
farming operation.
Maria’s Story
Maria, a sixteen-year-old, works as a nursing assistant in a local nursing
home. Due to her age, Maria was told in her employee orientation training
not to lift any of the residents. As she arrived for her evening shift one day,
she learned that the nursing home was short-staffed. Due to the shortage,
a fellow nursing assistant asked Maria to help transfer a large gentleman
from his wheelchair to his bed. Maria didn’t want to disappoint her co-
worker, so she agreed to help.
Work Safe, Work Smart vii Introductory Materials

As they were transferring the man, he became anxious and started flinging
his arms in all directions. Maria lost her grip, and the man began to fall to
the floor. She tried to grab him to break his fall. As she did, Maria felt a
strain in her lower back. As she stood up, her back muscles began to
spasm. Maria was sent home and went to a doctor for treatment.
Maria is now worried about the long-term effects of her injury. Maria
enjoys dancing and had planned to become a dance teacher. She now
worries that her back injury may prevent her from taking the advanced
jazz dance lessons she’d need to become a teacher. Her back also gets sore
if she sits too long, and sometimes, at night, she wakes up in pain.
Injuries and illnesses have a variety of causes and can occur in every type
of workplace. As Joshua’s and Maria’s stories show, work-related injuries
and illnesses can be permanently damaging — physically, emotionally, and
financially.
The solution to the problem of workplace injuries and illnesses lies in

prevention. Each of us can become more aware of health and safety issues
in the workplace. By learning all we can about our responsibilities as
employers and employees, we can help keep ourselves and our coworkers
safe.
Evaluating the health and safety of our work environment is as important

as doing quality work and getting paid well. Our health and the health of
those we work with depend on it.
Almost 600 Why Teach Adolescents about

Worker Safety?
workers Many students begin working at a regular job at the age of 14 or 15. Even
before their first regular paying jobs, however, many students work for a
aged 15-24 neighbor or on a family farm. The number of 15-17 year old workers in the
United States today is estimated to be over 1.6 million.3 A more meaning-
ful number to you may be the number of responses you get when you ask
die each year your students, “How many of you work at either paid or unpaid jobs?”
from work- The vast majority of your students have had or will soon have some work
experience. Students who live on farms probably already have worked for
years in a very hazardous work environment. Most students work at
related temporary or intermittent jobs that require little technical skill and likely
provide little or no safety training.
injuries in
Although laws are in place to protect adolescent workers, law enforcement
alone cannot keep teens safe. As teachers, you are in a unique position to
the US. teach students about work safety, advocate for them in their current jobs,
and prepare them for safe work experiences in the future.
Even though adolescent workers are protected by law from employment in

the most hazardous occupations, the work-related fatality rate for 15-17
year old workers approaches that of older workers.4 Nationally, almost
Introductory Materials viii Work Safe, Work Smart

600 workers age 15 - 24 die every year as a result of work injuries.5
In addition to fatalities, an estimated 26,500 work-related injuries and

illnesses to 15 - 17 year old workers were treated in emergency rooms
each year. This represents only part of the injury burden to youth. The
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health estimates that only
1/3 of all work-related injuries are seen in emergency rooms. In 2009, in
the United States, over 4,000 injuries to young workers under 18 were
serious enough to require at least one day of missed work.6
With the goal of decreasing the work-related injury burden on youth, the
U.S. Public Health Service has a goal of decreasing the 2007 rates of
occupational injury requiring emergency room treatment to youth by 10%
by the year 2020.7 Exposing youth to training and education on occupa-
tional injury risk reduction speaks to this goal. Work-related
But Don’t Accidents Just Happen? injuries are
When someone is injured at work, people often say “accidents happen.” But
do accidents just happen? If you were to review the events leading up to an predictable,
injury, you would find that the injury likely could have been predicted and,
therefore, prevented.
preventable
Work-related injuries are predictable, preventable events. This
curriculum challenges students to work backwards from injury events to events.
the hazards that caused them and then to the possible strategies that
could have prevented the injury from occurring in the first place.
By proactively implementing prevention strategies, most, if not all, work-

related injuries and illnesses can be prevented. Addressing potential
worker safety issues before they occur is the best way to keep workers
safe. Fixing the problem after an injury happens is often costly and results
in unnecessary disability.
How Does Worker Safety Relate to Other

Adolescent Health Issues?
As you read through this curriculum, you may notice similarities between
decision-making skills used to deal with work-related injury or illness
issues and other health-related issues, such as smoking, drug use, diet,
and physical activity. Realizing the consequences of risk-taking behavior,
recognizing the dangers to health, and learning ways to avoid or minimize
these dangers are part of most health maintenance and disease prevention
strategies.
In this curriculum, students use their own and other students’ personal
experiences to discuss the risks of work-related hazards and the best ways
to prevent injury and illness from those hazards.
Injury prevention is complicated, because unhealthy or unsafe behaviors

often happen in the context of socially positive goals, such as completing
tasks on time, working quickly, or simply getting the job done. Although
these goals are admirable and often necessary, a problem arises when they
conflict with safety. These goals then become dangerous. Worker safety
Work Safe, Work Smart ix Introductory Materials

must become as important to teen workers as working fast or getting paid.
Teaching this curriculum to your students is an important step in prepar-
ing them for their future work lives.
Footnotes:
1 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. “Young Worker Safety and Health.”
Fig. 1: Percent of Students Working by Grade Level, United States, 1997-2003. Retrieved
06/08/12, from www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/youth/chtpkgfig1.html.
2 Zaidman, B. 2011. “Minnesota Workplace Safety Report 2009.” St. Paul, Minnesota
Department of Labor and Industry: 66p.http://www.dli.mn.gov/RS/WorkplaceSafety.asp
Fig. 2: Numbers of Employed Youth (Ages 15-17) by Year, United States. Retrieved 06/08/12,
from www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/youth/chtpkgfig2.html
4 Windau, J and Meyer, S. 2005. “Occupational Injuries Among Young Workers.” Monthly
Labor Review 128, No. 10: 11-23. http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2005/10/art2full.pdf
5 Centers for Disease Control. 2010. “Occupational Injuries and Deaths Among Younger
Workers--United States, 1998-2007.” MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 59 (15): 449-455.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5915a2.htm
Fig. 5: Data Overview of Young Worker Deaths and Injuries, United States. Retrieved 06/08/
12, from www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/youth/chtpkgfig5.html.
Retrieved 06/08/12, from www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/youth/.
Introductory Materials x Work Safe, Work Smart

Unit Framework
Key Concepts Corresponding Learner Outcomes Activities
Cognitive Attitudinal Behavioral
Day 1: An Introduc- Students will: Students will: Students will:

tion To Worker 1. Define the 1. Perceive that 1. Participate in 1. Experience
Safety term “work- worker safety is daily activities “simulated”
1. Worker safety is place hazard.” an important while simulating disabilities
an important issue issue for adoles- a disability. caused by
for all workers. 2. Give examples cents because workplace
of workplace many are work- hazards.
2. Workers may injuries and ing or soon will
become permanently illnesses. work. 2. Discuss stu-
impaired by work- dents’ experi-
place injuries or 2. Perceive that ences with
illnesses. workplace workplace
injuries or injuries or
3. A workplace hazard illnesses could illnesses.
is anything at work affect them
that can harm a personally or
person — physically those close to
or mentally. them.
Day 2: Recognizing Students will: Students will: Students will:

Workplace Hazards 1. Identify the 1. Perceive the 1. Actively partici- 1. Discuss stu-
1. Workplace hazards effects serious importance of pate in class dents’ experi-
can be divided into injuries or evaluating discussions of ences with
three categories: illnesses could potential haz- workplace simulated
biological; chemi- have on their ards in their hazards. disabilities.
cal; and physical. lives. workplaces.
2. Create hazard 2. Create hazard
2. Hazards may 2. Give examples maps for simu- maps of differ-
cause both tempo- of different lated work- ent workplaces.
rary and perma- types of places.
nent injuries and workplace 3. Identify haz-
illnesses. hazards. ards associated
with students’
3. Hazards may 3. Recognize experience with
cause immediate hazards in the workplace
injuries or ill- workplace. injuries or
nesses. Other illnesses.
hazards may not
cause injuries or
illnesses until
much later in life.
Work Safe, Work Smart xi Introductory Materials

Unit Framework (continued)
Day 3: Preventing Students will: Students will: Students will:

Workplace Injuries 1. Describe 1. Perceive that 1. List specific 1. Discuss the
and Illnesses three strate- all workplace practices within worker safety
1. Most workplace gies used to injuries or each prevention attitude
injuries and illnesses prevent illnesses can be strategy. survey.
can be avoided by workplace prevented.
taking the right injuries or 2. Actively partici- 2. Review ABC
preventative steps. illnesses. 2. Identify the pate in class prevention
attitudes that discussions strategies.
2. Three main ways to 2. List examples help a person about risk and
prevent workplace within each remain safe in its role in 3. Discuss the
injuries and illnesses prevention the workplace. workplace concept of
are Administration, strategy. safety. risk and its
Building barriers, effect on
and Communication. 3. Identify the personal
pros and cons safety in the
3. The best prevention of taking workplace.
strategies usually are risks in the
engineering controls workplace.
(part of Building
barriers), because
they don’t depend on
people making safe
choices every time.
Day 4: Applying Students will: Students will: Students will:

Prevention Strategies 1. Identify 1. Demonstrate a 1. Create written 1. Cooperate in a
in the Workplace— hazards positive prevention plans group to
Part I within a problem- for simulated identify the
1. Each workplace has workplace solving atti- workplaces. hazards and
potential hazards environment. tude toward prevention
that should be identi- workplace strategies in a
fied. 2. Select appro- hazards. workplace.
priate preven-
2. Each person can take tion strategies 2. Perceive that 2. Create a plan
proactive steps to for workplace they can to implement
prevent injuries and hazards. personally these preven-
illnesses in the take steps to tion strate-
workplace. 3. Create a plan make a work- gies.
by prioritizing place safer.
3. Once prevention the order in
strategies are identi- which these
fied, they can be used prevention
to make the work- strategies will
place safer. be imple-
mented.
Introductory Materials xii Work Safe, Work Smart

Day 5: Applying Students will: Students will: Students will:

Prevention Strate- 1. Summarize 1. Communicate 1. Effectively 1. Cooperate in
gies in the Work- their preven- safety informa- communicate the groups to
place—Part II tion plans in tion effectively. rationale for the complete their
1. Each workplace has the form of prevention case studies and
potential hazards presentations. strategies they present their
that should be selected. plans to the
identified. 2. Evaluate the class.
plans pre- 2. Evaluate their
2. Prevention strate- sented by current work 2. Review cards
gies can make a others. situations using with key pre-
workplace safer by the ABC’s of vention steps.
reducing the possi- prevention.
bility of injuries or 3. Review informa-
illnesses. tion learned up
to this point.
3. Employers must
provide a safe
workplace for
employees. Workers
should communicate
any safety concerns
to their employers.
Day 6: The Impor- Students will: Students will: Students will:

tance of Worker 1. Describe the 1. Perceive that 1. Actively partici- 1. Review photo-
Safety Laws state of worker safety pate in the new graphs and
1. Before worker worker laws are impor- law development stories of
safety laws, work- safety before tant in protect- exercise. young workers.
ing conditions for laws were ing the health of
many young people enacted. young workers. 2. Develop laws
were dangerous and that would
unhealthy. 2. Recognize 2. Perceive that protect these
the need for everyone has a young workers.
2. Child labor laws worker right to a safe
were made to safety and workplace.
protect young child labor
workers. laws.
Work Safe, Work Smart xiii Introductory Materials

Day 7: Worker Safety Students will: Students will: Students will:

Laws and You 1. Describe 1. Perceive that 1. Stop any work 1. Play a game to
1. Every employer current workers have practices that review worker
should follow worker worker safety the right to are illegal for safety laws.
safety laws. laws. expect a safe them to perform.
work environ- 2. Read case
2. Worker safety laws 2. Apply these ment. studies of
are made to protect laws to workplace
workers, not to limit specific work 2. Perceive that safety situa-
their opportunities situations. employers have tions and apply
for employment. a right to expect current laws to
employees to these situa-
behave safely. tions.
Day 8: Addressing Students will: Students will: Students will:

Unsafe Workplace 1. Describe the 1. Perceive that 1. Discuss appro- 1. Discuss the
Conditions benefits and worker safety priate safety benefits and
1. Worker safety laws drawbacks of laws are impor- communication drawbacks of
are meant to protect worker safety tant, even skills in differ- worker safety
workers, not to limit laws. though they ent situations. laws.
their opportunities may be restric-
for employment. 2. Give examples tive. 2. Discuss the
of helpful steps steps to take in
2. Each employee can to resolve addressing a
take basic steps to workplace workplace
address unsafe work safety issues. safety issue.
conditions.
3. Apply these
3. Every worker has the steps to a
right and responsibil- worker safety
ity to address safety issue.
concerns in the
workplace.
Introductory Materials xiv Work Safe, Work Smart

Day 9: Putting Work Students will: Students will: Students will:

Safety Into Practice 1. Describe 1. Perceive the 1. Demonstrate the 1. Role-play
1. Every worker has the steps to help importance of steps used in scenarios in
right and responsibil- resolve addressing resolving work- which students
ity to address safety workplace unsafe work place safety must confront
concerns in the work- safety issues. issues with issues. employers with
place. their employers. worker safety
2. Apply these 2. Adopt safe and issues.
2. An employer does not steps to real- lawful practices
have the legal right to life work at their work- 2. Discuss real-
fire an employee situations. places or homes. life workplace
because the employee safety situa-
refuses to work in a tions.
situation in which
danger is imminent.
3. Employees can take

basic steps to address
unsafe work conditions
4. Workplace safety can

be achieved through
cooperative problem-
solving.
Work Safe, Work Smart xv Introductory Materials

Lesson Description and Preparation
Lesson Title Lesson Description Preparation Needed
1. An Introduction to Students are intro- • Send letter regarding disability exercise to

Worker Safety duced to the issue of parents and teachers, if desired.
worker safety through
a disability exercise • Prepare disability materials (ear plugs, tape,
and a discussion of face make-up, arm slings, crutches).
workplace injuries and
hazards. • Make Overhead 1.1—one for each class
period.
• Photocopy handouts and sets of fact sheets.
• Read through the hazard fact sheets.
2. Recognizing Work- Students discuss the • Familiarize yourself with the example
place Hazards effect of potential hazard maps.
workplace injuries on
their lives, brainstorm • Make Overheads 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4,and 2.5.
lists of different types
of workplace hazards, • Photocopy one handout.
and then map out
potential hazards in
work environments.
3. Preventing Work- Students brainstorm • Review the fact sheets.

place Injuries and ways to apply the ABC
Illnesses prevention strategies to • Review the attitude survey.
example hazards. They
also discuss the reasons • Think through the costs and benefits of
workers choose to take different safety measures.
risks in the workplace,
even when they know • Use Overhead 1.1 completed in Lesson 1—
hazards are present. one per class.
• Photocopy handouts.
• Make Overheads 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, and 3.5.
4. Applying Preven- Students create work- • Photocopy workplace scenario descriptions

tion Strategies in the place safety plans, and maps—one set for each group member
Workplace—Part I including hazard maps assigned the scenario.
and safety action steps,
for simulated work • Photocopy the other two handouts.
environments.
• Make sets of overheads of workplace maps—
one set for each class.
• Make Overhead 4.1.
Introductory Materials xvi Work Safe, Work Smart

Lesson Description and Preparation
Lesson Title Lesson Description Preparation Needed
5. Applying Preven- Students present their • Photocopy one handout.

tion Strategies in the workplace safety plans
Workplace—Part II for simulated work • Laminate and cut out the game cards.
environments. Content of
the last five lessons also
is reviewed.
6. The Importance of Students are introduced • Read through the child labor script a few
Worker Safety Laws to the importance of times.
worker safety laws
through a presentation of • Review the photos.
their history and a
discussion of the rights of • Photocopy handouts.
young workers.
7. Worker Safety Students review current • Set up the game show.

Laws and You worker safety laws by
playing a game and • Photocopy two handouts.
discussing scenarios.
8. Addressing Unsafe Students discuss the • Review the list of benefits and drawbacks for
Workplace Condi- benefits and drawbacks of each law.
tions worker safety laws and
learn the basic steps for • Make Overheads 8.1 and 8.2.
addressing workplace
safety issues. • Photocopy one handout.
9. Putting Work Students practice, • Use Overhead 8.2.

Safety into Practice through a role-play
exercise, the basic skills • Think through the S.A.F.E. steps in role-
needed to address work- plays.
place safety issues. They
also identify barriers and • Think through possible responses by an
solutions to overcoming employer.
challenges when address-
ing safety concerns in the • Photocopy and cut out the role-play sce-
workplace. narios.
• Photocopy handouts.
Work Safe, Work Smart xvii Introductory Materials

SO
LES N
An Introduction
1 to Worker Safety
Description: Fact:
Students are introduced to the 5. Perceive that worker safety Today’s 20 year olds
issue of worker safety through a is important, because they have a 3 in 10 chance of
discussion about workplace could become injured or ill
injuries and hazards and a from workplace hazards and becoming disabled
disability exercise. because some of those before they reach retire-
injuries or illnesses could
cause permanent impair-
ment age.1 Reducing
Learner Outcomes: ments. disabilities due to work-
Students will be able to do the related injury and illness
following:
Key Concepts: is one way to lessen the
1. Give examples of workplace 1. Workplace safety is an cost of disability to
injuries and illnesses. important issue for all
workers. society.
2. Define the term “workplace
hazard.” 2. Workers may become
permanently impaired
3. Perceive that worker safety by workplace injuries or KEY TO SYMBOLS:
is an important issue for illnesses.
adolescents, because many of
them are or soon will be 3. A workplace hazard is OVERHEADS
working. anything at work that can
harm a person — physically
4. Perceive that workplace or mentally.
injuries or illnesses could
affect them personally or HANDOUTS
those close to them.
SUPPLIES
NOTABLE
FACTS
TEACHER
TIPS
Work Safe, Work Smart 1.1 Lesson 1: An Introduction to Worker Safety

Materials Preparation Needed:
Needed: 1. Read through the “Introduction To Worker Safety Issues” section on
❑ Overhead 1.1 (one pages vii-x in this curriculum. You may want to share the informa-
overhead per class; tion in this introduction with students during your class
class examples will discussion.
be used in Lessons
2 and 3) 2. Make copies of the handouts (one per student).
❑ Letter to parents/
teachers 3. Make copies of the workplace hazard fact sheets (one set per student).
❑ Disability props (e.g., You may want to make classroom sets rather than individual sets.
ear plugs, athletic
tape, face make-up or 4. Read through the workplace hazard fact sheets, so you are familiar with
nose and scar wax, the categories of hazards and the examples within each category.
arm slings, crutches,
or wheelchair) 5. Set up the overhead projector and overhead.
❑ Scissors
❑ “Performance Criteria 6. Inform school staff of the disability exercise, since it may impact them
and Checklist” hand- in other classes. A prepared letter of explanation is included in this
out (one per student) lesson. It can be distributed to other teachers, sent home with students
❑ “Injury Scenarios” to describe the exercise to their parents, or both.
sheet
❑ “My Experience With 7. Prepare the disability exercise materials, including cutting the tape into
A Workplace Disabil- pieces of the correct size. You can order athletic tape and inexpensive
ity” handout (one per ear plugs from school supply catalogs. Ask your school nurse for arm
student) slings, crutches, or wheelchairs. Ask your drama department for the
❑ Workplace hazard fact face makeup.
sheets (one set per
student)
Directions:
Life After An Injury — Part I:
Simulated Disability Experience (10 minutes)
Begin this exercise right after the students enter the classroom to allow
students in-class time to experience their disabilities. As with any newly
disabled person, it may take the students time to adjust to their disabilities.
TEACHER TIP: To mirror life, students should not choose what disabilities they are given.
Assign disabilities
to students the 1. Explain:
day before. Then In order to help you understand what it might feel like to
set up stations at experience a serious and permanent work injury, I would
which students like each of you to participate in a little experiment.
can pick up their
disabilities when
they first arrive at I am going to give each of you a simulated disability. It may
school. be a loss of hearing. It may be an amputated thumb on your
dominant hand. It may be an amputated arm, a broken leg,
or a scar on your face.
Lesson 1: An Introduction to Worker Safety 1.2 Work Safe, Work Smart

I want to challenge each of you to wear this “disability”
until you go to sleep tonight. Your parents and other teach-
ers know what we are doing.
During the day, be aware of what you can and cannot do,
what you think or feel about the situation, how you might
need to adapt your activities, and how people react to you.
We will discuss your experiences in our next class. It may
seem uncomfortable or embarrassing, but imagine if you
really did have this disability. You would be experiencing
the very same feelings.
2. Give each student in the room one of the following: ear plugs; a piece of
12-inch athletic tape to tape down the thumb of their dominant hand;
face make-up (scar and nose wax) to mold a disfigurement or make a EAR PLUGS, TAPE, MAKE-UP,
scar on their face; or other items you may be able to borrow from your OTHER ITEMS
school nurse, such as arm slings, crutches, or wheelchairs.
3. Explain:
I have given something to each of you.
a. For those with ear plugs, squish each ear plug so the
end going in your ear is smaller. Pull the ear backward and
gently insert one ear plug into each ear. The ear plug
should be lodged in place without hurting.
b. For those with thumb tape, tape the thumb on your

dominant hand (the hand you write or eat with). Stretch
the thumb toward your palm. Tape your thumb in place so
that it cannot move but is still comfortable.
c. For those with arm slings, crutches, or wheel-

chairs, please see me for special instructions.
(Consult with your school nurse for specialized instructions and

safeguards.)
d. For the facial disfigurement, make a scar or some

kind of mark on your face with a portion of the nose and
scar wax or the face make-up.
Have only one or two people per class do this example. Other kinds of
scar-making material can be substituted for the scar and nose wax, if
you are unable to obtain this product. You may choose to buy a ready-
made scar, or you might have another idea about how to construct a
facial disfigurement. Creativity is encouraged in this exercise.
Add any other disabilities you can think of. Make sure you do not ask
students to do anything that could put them at risk of injury.

Injury in the Workplace Discussion
(30 minutes)
1. Give each student a copy of the “Performance Criteria and Checklist.”
Explain to the students that their participation in the next five class
sessions will be graded using the criteria outlined on this form. Read
through the form and answer any questions students may have about
the tasks or the quality of work expected.
Students can keep track of their progress by placing an X in the left-

“PERFORMANCE CRITERIA hand column as they complete each task. Take time at the end of
AND CHECKLIST” HANDOUT
each class period to have students check off tasks they com-
pleted that day. At the end of the unit, teachers should review each
student’s work and place an X or grade next to each task that he or she
has completed.
2. Have each student get out a piece of paper and a pencil or pen. Say:
Write down three careers you are interested in and three
things you enjoy doing in your free time.
3. Ask a few students to share what they wrote. After each student
shares, ask him or her what would happen to their career aspirations
or free time pursuits, if they were seriously and permanently injured.
For example, if they broke their back and were paralyzed or lost an
arm, leg, or thumb on their dominant hand.
Students may say they would continue pursuing these things. Briefly
discuss the hurdles they would have to overcome to be able to continue
pursuing these things.
4. Explain:
None of us ever expects to be injured in this way. But if we
were, it could change our lives. We might still pursue our
dreams and past times, but the pursuit would be much
more difficult.
For the next five (or nine) class periods, we are going to be
talking about a very important topic—staying safe at work.
Believe it or not, it is fairly common for people to be injured
at work. Some of these injuries require trips to the emer-
gency room and days off of work. Some work-related inju-
ries cause permanent disability and even death. Every year
there are teens who die due to work-related injuries.
For those of you who are working, this is an important

topic for you now. For those of you who aren’t working yet,
these classes will provide you with information to be safer
at work in the future. What we are going to be learning
could protect you from being seriously hurt or killed!

Most of you have career goals. Each of you enjoys doing a lot
of fun things in your free time. A serious work injury could
put an end to those pursuits or make them extremely diffi-
cult to pursue. We want to do all we can to make sure that
doesn’t happen.
5. Explain:
Let’s spend a few minutes talking about the work experi-
ences you or others you know have had.
• How many of you have ever worked?

• What jobs have you had?
• How many of you plan to work in the near future?
• How many of you have brothers or sisters who work?
• Do you know someone who became injured or ill because
of work?
6. Write students’ examples of workplace injuries or illnesses in the left

column on Overhead 1.1. Cover up the right column for now. Make a
separate overhead for each class period. The following are questions you
can ask to promote more discussion of the injury events, if necessary:
• How did the injury or illness happen?

• What was the result of this injury or illness?
OVERHEAD 1.1
• Was the injury or illness temporary or permanent?
• How did this person’s life change (even temporarily)?
• How would you feel, if you were in the same situation?
• Do you think an injury or illness such as this one is
common?
• Do you think an injury or illness such as this one could
happen to you?
7. The goal of this discussion and your questions is to help students realize
that worker safety is an important issue for them personally. Take
enough class time to allow your students to talk about as many ex-
amples as possible.
Your role is to draw as many students as possible into the discussion.

This discussion sets the stage for students developing a personal inter-
est in worker safety and health.
If students do not have examples of their own, use the scenarios pro-
vided at the end of this lesson or news stories involving teen work
injuries. You do not need to use both the scenarios and student
examples.
8. Ask:
Based on these examples, do you think worker safety is an

important issue? Why? Why not?
Allow two or three students to express their view.
9. Explain:
Some people may think workplace injuries and illnesses
happen because people do “stupid” things. They are sure
they would never do the same. The fact is, we all make
mistakes. All of us, no matter how intelligent we are, make
mistakes. We all could get injured at work.
A workplace To prevent injuries, we need to make the workplace safe,

not rely on people to always act safely. The first step in
hazard is making the workplace safe is to identify the hazards that
are there.
anything at
work that Introduction to Workplace Hazards
can harm (10 minutes)
1. Explain:
us— The examples of workplace injuries or illnesses we just
discussed all involved “workplace hazards.”
physically or Write the following definition on the board:
mentally. • A workplace hazard is anything at work that can harm

us—physically or mentally.
A workplace hazard is the thing that caused an injury,

not the injury itself. For example, a burn on your arm is
not the hazard. It is the hot oil or hot oven that caused the
burn. A broken arm is not the hazard. It is the elevation or
height from which you fell.
Special Note: Students have a tendency to identify the hazard as the

event. They may state that the “fall” is the hazard instead of the
“height,” which is the real hazard. Reviewing these examples before
the class session will help you feel prepared and comfortable discussing
the hazard situations with your students.
WORKPLACE HAZARD FACTS
HANDOUTS 2. Give each student a set of the workplace hazard fact sheets.
Say:
Here are some examples of different types of hazards. Take
a few minutes to read through them.
Allow students five minutes to read through the fact sheets. You may
want to discuss some of the “Did You Know??” examples with your
students. Additional information about these hazards can be found in

the educational resources listed in the back portion of this curriculum.
3. Explain:
Hazards exist in most jobs. To prevent injuries, it is very
important that we know what hazards to look for in the
workplace. Next session, we will talk more about how to
identify hazards in a workplace.
4. Have students read through their “Performance Criteria and Check-

list” and check those Lesson 1 activities they completed today.
Taking It Home:
Have students complete the following homework assignment. Give each “PERFORMANCE CRITERIA AND
student a copy of the “My Experience With A Workplace Disability” hand- CHECKLIST”
out or write the assignment on a chalkboard. AND
“MY EXPERIENCE WITH A
Explain: WORKPLACE DISABILITY”
Write a two- to three-paragraph essay discussing your HANDOUTS
experience wearing the ear plugs, arm sling, taped down
thumb, crutches, wheelchair, or scar on your face. Focus on
how you felt, what you thought, and what you could and
could not do.
Also, describe how this disability would affect the three

careers and three free time activities you listed at the
beginning of the class period. Be prepared to discuss and
hand in your essay during the next session.
Footnotes:
1 SSA Publication No. 05-10029, July 2011, ICN 45600.
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10029.html

Overhead 1.1
Workplace Injury Hazards Causing

Or Illness Examples The Injury/Illness
Class Period: _____________________________

Date
Dear Parent/Teacher:
Students in my class are learning about the importance of worker safety. Most teenagers
are or soon will be involved in the working world. Unfortunately, work-related injuries are
common among adolescents. Some of these injuries can result in permanent injury, disfig-
urement, or even death.
We are teaching students about worker safety to help them become more aware of hazards
in the workplace and how injuries or illnesses from those hazards can be prevented.
To increase students’ appreciation for worker safety, they are being asked to participate in a
day-long exercise that will simulate the experience of living with a physical impairment due
to a work injury. These simulated impairments include: hearing loss (wearing earplugs);
arm amputations (wearing arm slings); thumb amputations (immobilizing thumbs with
tape); or facial disfigurements (wearing fake scars).
Students will be asked to “wear” these physical impairments throughout the whole day on
_____(Add date here)_____ so as to gain an appreciation for the long-term impact work-
related injuries may have on their lives.
This exercise may limit students’ participation somewhat in other classes or duties at home.
We are asking for your cooperation in this exercise. We hope this day of inconvenience will
provide long-term benefits of increased student awareness of the consequences of work-
related injury.
We appreciate your willingness to allow your student(s) to participate in this exercise.

Discussion of students’ feelings and the personal challenges associated with having a
disability is encouraged. If you have any concerns or questions, please contact me.
Sincerely,
Name
Teaching Position
School
Phone Number

Name: _____________________________________ Class Period: ___________
Performance Criteria and Checklist
Place a check mark in the appropriate box when the criterion is met. Corresponding lessons are listed in ( ).
Student Performance Criteria Teacher

Checklist Checklist
1. Accurately defines what a hazard is. (1 and 2)
2. Identifies common hazards found in the workplace. (1, 2, 4)
3. Creates a hazard map that is accurate and thorough. (2 and 4)
4. Writes clearly and in an organized and thorough manner. (1, 3, 4)
5. Participates fully in class discussions. (1, 2, 3, 4,and 5)
6. Participates fully in small group projects. Completes equal amounts of

work and interacts respectfully with other group members. (2 and 4)
7. Prepares thorough, organized, and creative class presentations. (5)
The following decision-making criteria should be met when developing

safety action plans:
8. Accurately identifies the major hazards in a simulated workplace. (1, 2,

and 4)
9. Develops a logical list of preventative steps to deal with at least four of

these hazards. (3 and 4)
10. Identifies and prioritizes a logical list of criteria for choosing these
preventative steps. (4)
11. Clearly explains how criteria were used to select the order of preven-
tative steps. (4 and 5)

Injury Scenarios
To be used if students do not come up with examples. These events actually took place in
Minnesota.
Case # 1: A 12-year-old farm boy was injured when he came in contact with the shaft of an auger while
loading corn. His arm was broken and his right thumb was severed, resulting in amputation and
extensive blood loss. He was hospitalized for eleven days and had three surgeries in an attempt to save
his thumb. He is back in school, but, because he is right-handed, has had to adapt to writing with four
fingers.
Case # 2: A 17-year-old was working at a construction site. He was riding on the side of a bulldozer
being driven by another 17-year-old. As the equipment was going over an old railroad bridge, the
bridge collapsed. The bulldozer fell into the creek below and the 17-year-old passenger, who was caught
beneath it, drowned. The driver watched helplessly as his friend died. It is illegal for 17-year-olds to
be working at construction sites.
Case # 3: A 16-year-old girl was working at a local grocery store. After packing an especially heavy
order, she was asked to carry the groceries out to the car. As she was lifting the bags from the carrying
cart into the trunk of the car, she felt a pull in her lower back. When she stood up she realized she had
strained her back.
Case # 4: An 18-year-old boy was snowblowing the church driveway when the snowblower became
clogged with wet snow. He was using his right hand to unclog it when the blade caught his glove and
pulled his hand in. His index and middle fingers were amputated to the first joint.
Case # 5: A 13-year-old was killed while helping his father remove corn from a grain bin. The boy
climbed to the roof of the bin and opened the cover. He sat on the roof ladder watching the corn being
removed.
After fifteen minutes, the boy’s father noticed his son was no longer on the ladder. He climbed the
ladder to look in the bin but did not see his son. When he returned to the ground, he saw a tennis shoe
come out the discharge opening. He stopped the auger and went for help. The boy was removed from
the bin but later died.
Case # 6: An 18-year-old girl was cleaning the blade of a meat slicer. The scrubbing pad slipped, and
her hand went under the blade. She severely cut her right thumb.
Case # 7: A 17-year-old boy was helping paint the barn on his family’s farm. He was on a ladder 12
feet above the ground. As he was reaching to paint a spot, his foot slipped and he fell to the ground.
The boy severed his spine and was paralyzed from the waist down. He is now learning to adjust to life
in a wheelchair.
Case # 8: A 16-year-old girl was working at a fast food restaurant. She was asked to filter some hot
oil. She was carrying it outside, when her foot slipped on the greasy floor and the oil spilled, burning
her right arm and leg.

My Experience With A Workplace Disability

Write a two- to three-paragraph essay below discussing your experience with a simulated
disability. Focus on answering the following questions:
• How did you feel having the disability?
• What couldn’t you do?
• What could you do but differently than usual?
• How would this disability affect the three career choices you listed during class?
• How would this disability affect the three free time activities you listed during class?

Workplace Physical Hazard Facts
Workplace physical hazards cause injuries or illnesses by transferring energy between objects and workers.
Type of Physical Examples Did You Know??
Hazard
Elevations or Ladder If you fall three feet and hit your head,
Heights—Any situa- Elevated walkway it will cause injuries similar to running
tion in which a person Walkway over a pit as fast as you can into a brick wall.
may fall or have objects Stairs
fall on them. Boxes on a high shelf
Slippery Surfaces— Wet floor Strains and sprains are some of the
Wet or oily surfaces Waxed floor most common injuries among construc-
can cause falls. Oily/greasy floor tion workers. Falls due to unstable
footing, holes, and falls from scaffold-
ing and ladders are very common.
Electricity—Electro- Electrical wire Electrical injuries may not look imme-

cution can result when Electrical outlet diately serious. However, as the elec-
a person comes in Lightning tricity passes through a person's body,
contact with an electri- Batteries it causes extensive internal injuries.
cal current, either Electrical equipment These injuries gradually may get worse
indoors or outdoors. after the electrocution.
Confined Spaces— Grain bin You can lose consciousness in a manure

Any space with Manure pit pit within a few breaths and have brain
limited openings and Underground pipe damage within two minutes.
poor ventilation may
cause harm due to One of the most common ways for more
toxic gases or lack of than one worker to be killed at a time is
oxygen. when someone tries to rescue another
person from a confined space without
using proper protective equipment.
Noise—Loud noises Tractor engine At first, loud noises may cause only a
can damage a person's Explosives temporary loss in hearing. This effect
hearing suddenly or Loud music may last up to a full day. Continued
gradually over time. Machinery exposure to loud noises can result in
Power tools permanent hearing loss.
Sharp Objects—Any Power saw Each year, over 5,000 American

sharp object that is Meat slicer workers lose all or part of a finger.
operated or held in the Box cutter
hand(s) can cause cuts Knife
or even amputations.
Moving Parts— Power takeoff If you become entangled in a power

Moving parts, both slow Engine parts takeoff rotating at 1000 rpm, over five
and fast, can cause Drill feet of clothing can become entangled
bodily harm, such as Auger in less than one second!
amputation or crushing.

Workplace Physical Hazard Facts (continued)
Type of Physical Examples Did You Know???

Hazard
Repetitive Motions— Computer keyboard Physical injuries, such as carpal tunnel

Work that requires Assembly lines syndrome, may develop as a result of
doing the same actions repetitive motions, even though the
over and over again motions seem easy.
may cause injury over
time.
Heavy Loads—Loads Boxes Back strains are the most common

that are too heavy or Hay bales work injury. However, many workers
that are lifted improp- People also have chronic knee or shoulder
erly may cause back or problems.
neck injuries.
Heavy Machinery—A Tractors An average of six Minnesota farmers

person can be run over, Circular baler die each year in accidents involving
rolled on, or crushed by Skid loader tractors.
large machinery. Trucks
Heat—Any hot surface Sun exposure A healthy worker can lose over 16
or overexposure to Furnace pounds of sweat in an eight-hour
sunlight may cause Fryer, grill, or oven workday. This sweating can easily
burns and dehydration. Running engine cause heat stress.
Cold—Overexposure Outdoors in winter When you are cold, your body automati-
to cold or being Refrigerator/freezer cally decreases the amount of blood
trapped in a cold place going to your skin. This decrease in
may cause frostbite, blood flow to the skin keeps your inner
hypothermia, and, body temperature higher by limiting
potentially, death. heat loss. An inner body temperature of
95 degrees or less is a true emergency.
Weapons—Weapons Guns In a comparison of 23 economically

may be misused, Knives advanced countries, death rates from
causing injury to self firearms were dramatically higher in
and others. Workplaces the U.S. Among 15-24 year olds, the
may be robbed by U.S. firearm death rate was 17-fold
people using weapons. higher than in other countries.
Miscellaneous—Any Ill-fitting equipment Accidental exposures to x-rays are

other physical objects X-ray machines numerous and often involve extremely
that can cause injury Radiation high exposures to small portions of the
or illness. body. Most accidental exposures happen
during non-routine uses, such as when
equipment is partially disassembled or
shield covers had been removed.

Workplace Chemical Hazard Facts
Workplace chemical hazards are chemicals that may cause injury or illness to workers if they are inhaled,
swallowed, or absorbed through the skin. Chemicals may also cause explosions.
Form of Chemical Examples Did You Know??

Hazard
Solid—Any chemical Dry Paint Dry paint may contain lead. It tastes
found in a solid form. sweet and is sometimes eaten by small
children. Ingestion of lead paint may
cause brain damage.
Dusts—Dusts are tiny Bags of cement Under certain conditions, dusts can
particles of solids. You Glass fibers explode (for example, in a silo or flour
may be exposed to Asbestos mill).
dust from materials Some herbicides
that are already in During the 1960’s, asbestos had over
dust form, or from 3,000 uses. Today, asbestos is known
work processes that to cause lung cancer.
create dust.
Liquid—Any Fertilizers Pesticides are used to kill animals,

chemical found in a Herbicides and, so, can be very poisonous to
liquid form at room Pesticides humans.
temperature. Liquid Paints
chemicals may cause Cleaners
poisoning by ingestion,
inhalation, or
absorption.
Vapors—Vapors are Cleaners Some paints may contain lead or

tiny drops of liquid that Paints mercury. Both of these may affect
are suspended in the Pesticides small children more than adults.
air. Vapors from some Both may cause brain damage.
chemicals may irritate
the eyes and skin.
Gases—Some chemi- Aerosols Hydrogen sulfide gas from manure pits

cals are in gas form Carbon monoxide may cause a person to become uncon-
when they are at room Vehicle fumes scious in as few as two breaths. A few
temperature. Other Grain silo gases breaths more will cause death. Never
solid or liquid chemi- Hydrogen sulfide enter a manure pit without proper
cals become gases protective equipment!
when they are heated.

Workplace Biological Hazard Facts
Workplace biological hazards are living things or their byproducts that may cause injury or
illness to workers.
Type of Biological Examples Did You Know???

Hazard
Animals—A variety of Bites An estimated 33% of individuals

injuries and illnesses Skin contact who routinely handle animals
can be caused by Dander eventually develop allergies and
physical contact with Manure 10% may develop asthma.
an animal or its Manure pits
byproducts (such as its
wastes).
Humans—A variety of Blood One drop of HIV- or hepatitis-infected

illnesses may be Saliva blood in a needle, if it pricks a health
passed from one Mucus care worker, may transmit disease.
person to another Human waste
through contact with
the infected person's
bodily fluids.
Plants—A variety of Grain dust Dusts from moldy hay or other

illnesses may be Moldy hay types of mold may cause an
caused by contact with Pollen acute illness that acts like the
plants or portions of flu. This illness may last
plants. several weeks.

Fact:
Description: Agriculture has consis-
Students discuss the effect of from a hot oven, or the loss of tently been identified as
potential workplace injuries on an arm in a power takeoff). one of the most danger-
their lives, brainstorm lists of • Chemical—hazards due to
different types of workplace contact with chemicals (e.g., ous occupations for
hazards, and then map potential cleaners, pesticides, fertiliz- work-related injury and
hazards in work environments. ers).
• Biological—hazards due to death.1 Many hazards
contact with living organisms exist in the farming
or their by-products (e.g.,
Learner Outcomes: molds, bacteria, HIV, grain
environment.
Students will be able to do the dust).
following:
These categories are not
1. Identify the range of effects mutually exclusive; they are
serious injuries or illnesses important only in that they
could have on their lives. give structure to a broad topic.
2. Give examples of different 2. Hazards may cause both KEY TO SYMBOLS:

types of workplace hazards — temporary and permanent
biological, chemical, and injuries and illnesses.
physical. OVERHEADS
3. Some hazards will create an
3. Recognize hazards in a injury or illness right away.
workplace environment. Other hazards may not cause
an injury or illness until
4. Perceive the importance of much later in life. For this HANDOUTS
evaluating potential hazards reason, workers should take
in their workplaces. all hazards seriously, even if
they do not experience prob-
lems right away. SUPPLIES
Key Concepts:
1. The many kinds of workplace 4. It is important for all workers
hazards are divided into three to be aware of potential
categories: hazards when they enter a
• Physical—hazards due to a workplace. NOTABLE
FACTS
transfer of energy between an
object and a worker (e.g.,
falling from a height, a burn
TEACHER
TIPS
Work Safe, Work Smart 2.1 Lesson 2: Recognizing Workplace Hazards

Needed: 1. Set up the overhead projector. Place the overheads in order according
❑ Overheads 2.1, 2.2, to the lesson outline.
2.3, 2.4, and 2.5
❑ Chalkboard or blank 2. Draw the three hazard categories (Physical, Chemical, and Biological)
overhead on the chalkboard or overhead before class begins.
❑ Large sheets of
butcher paper 3. Familiarize yourself with the example hazard maps (Overhead 2.4 and
❑ Markers (at least one 2.5), so you can explain them to the class.
per group of four
students) 4. Make copies of the “Workplace Safety Attitude Survey” (one per stu-
❑ “Teacher’s Key: dent).
Possible Hazards
Identified on Student
Hazard Maps” Optional Activity: You may want to invite a guest speaker to class who
❑ “Workplace Safety has experienced a workplace injury or permanent disability. The individual
Attitude Survey” may have suffered a sudden injury such as a loss of a limb or finger or
handout paralysis due to a fall. Or perhaps the individual has experienced an injury
or illness that developed gradually over time, such as a loss of hearing due
to working with loud machinery or lung-related conditions due to working
in dusty or hazardous environments.
Hearing the story of someone who has a workplace injury may help make
the material “real” to students and reinforce the concepts presented in this
lesson. Perhaps one of your students may have suffered a serious work-
place injury and may be willing to share his or her own experience with
the rest of the class.
If you are not sure where to find a speaker for your class, local organiza-
tions who serve people with disabilities may have suggestions.
Directions:
You may want to extend this lesson over a two-day period to allow more
time for discussion and completion of the hazard maps.
Life After An Injury — Part II (10 minutes)

Optional: You may want to allow students time to complete their “My
Experience With A Workplace Disability” essays at the beginning of class,
if they were not able to complete them as homework assignments.
1. Have one or two students from each disability group describe their
experiences with the simulated disabilities during the previous class
day. Ask other students from the same group, if they would like to add
anything about their experiences.
Lesson 2: Recognizing Workplace Hazards 2.2 Work Safe, Work Smart

If students do not include the following information, ask them:
• What was your experience like?

• What activities did you have to change, because you
could not use your thumb, arm, legs, or hearing?
• For those with the disfigurement, what did you experi-
ence?
• How might your life be different, if this situation was
permanent for you?
2. Explain:
You experienced what it was like to be injured at work, to
lose a thumb, an arm, a leg, your hearing, or to have scar-
ring on your face. Most of you found it difficult. People who
are really injured at work in these ways do not have the
option to go back to life before the injury.
People often are injured at work. It is not uncommon for a

person to lose their hearing, if they work in a noisy work-
place for a long period of time. It is not uncommon for a
person to lose a limb or finger while working around large,
moving machinery.
3. Show Overhead 2.1. Explain:

Some workplace injuries or illnesses affect us only for a
short time. Getting a burn that heals in a week or feeling OVERHEAD 2.1
nauseous for a few hours after using a strong chemical
cleaner are examples of temporary injuries or illnesses.
Ask:
What are some other examples of temporary work injuries
or illnesses?
(Example answers: small cuts; bruises; strains; sunburns)
Explain:
Other injuries or illnesses affect us for a long period of
time, maybe even for the rest of our lives. Losing an arm
in a power takeoff or losing the ability to walk after break-
ing your back in a fall are two examples of permanent
injuries or illnesses. Having a scar on your face is also a
permanent injury.
Ask:
What are some other examples of permanent work inju-
ries or illnesses?
(Example answers: losing a finger; losing your eyesight; developing
work-related asthma)

4. Explain:
You can also look at workplace injuries or illnesses in
another way. Some hazards create an injury or illness
immediately. For example, if you touch a hot grill, you get
a severe burn right away.
5. Ask:
What are some other examples of immediate work injuries
or illnesses?
(Example answers: cutting your finger in a meat slicer; hurting your
back when you fall)
6. Explain:
Other hazards may not cause an injury or illness until
later in life. For example, a person who works in a very
dusty workplace may have no problems right away but
may develop lung problems after years of exposure.
7. Ask:
What are some other examples of work injuries or illnesses
that show up later in life?
(Example answers: loss of hearing gradually over time; carpel tunnel
caused by repetitive motions over time; back problems caused by re-
peated lifting; cancer or lung disease caused by prolonged exposure to
harmful chemicals).
Note: Spend some time talking about injuries or illnesses that show up
later in life. Students may not always be aware of or concerned with
these hazards. Future health problems may not seem as important as
getting a job done quickly now. Discuss the problem with this short-
sighted view on work safety.
Explain:
When we think of workplace injuries or illnesses, we often
think of those that happen immediately, but the hazards
that cause injuries or illnesses later in life are just as
serious. For this reason, workers should take all hazards
seriously, even if they do not experience problems right
away.
Identifying and Defining Hazards

(20 minutes)
1. Ask:
All workplace injuries or illnesses are caused by hazards.
What was the definition of a “workplace hazard”?
(Answer: A workplace hazard is anything at work that can harm a
person—physically or mentally.)

Explain:
Remember, the hazard is what caused the injury or ill-
ness, not the injury or illness itself. For example, hot oil is
the hazard, not the burn the hot oil caused.
The hazard is also not the action that was taking place at
the time of the injury. For example, painting is not the
hazard, it is the height the painter fell from that is the
hazard. Of course, painting may cause muscle strain or
repetitive stress injuries.

You may be exposed to hazards at work in a number of OVERHEAD 2.2
ways. You may be exposed to a physical hazard whenever a
transfer of energy between you and an object is possible.
How many of you have studied physical science? Can you
explain what a transfer of energy involves?
A difference of temperature between an object and a person

creates the potential for heat energy to be transferred, if
the person and object come in contact. For example, if your
bare hand touches a hot oven, the heat energy of the oven
is transferred to you through touch, causing a burn.
A moving object also has energy that can be transferred. A

box sitting on a high shelf gains a lot of momentum as it
falls. If the box hits you, that energy is transferred to you,
causing an injury. In the same way, if you fall from a
height, your body gains a lot of momentum, causing it to be
injured when you hit the floor.

You may also be exposed to biological and chemical hazards OVERHEAD 2.3
by breathing them in (inhalation), absorbing them through
the skin (absorption) or through breaks in the skin, or
swallowing them (ingestion).
To prevent injuries, it is important to think about how your

body comes into contact with hazards. For example, if you
work with chemicals in the workplace and forget to wash
your hands before lunch, you may ingest the chemical
while you eat without realizing it. Even if the chemical
causes no immediate discomfort, why could ingesting it be
a problem?
(Answer: Illnesses may occur later due to repetitive actions over time.)

4. Draw a three-column table on the chalkboard or blank overhead. Label
one column “Physical Hazard,” one column “Chemical Hazard,” and
one column “Biological Hazard.”
Say:
Now without using the fact sheets, just using your memo-
ries or personal experiences, give me some examples of
workplace hazards.
5. As students list the hazards, decide as a class which category they fit
under and write them in the appropriate column.
Again, make sure students are mentioning hazards, not injuries or

illnesses. Students may be somewhat confused with the difference
between categories. Biological hazards deal with any fluid or product
from an animal. A person’s blood, if infected with HIV, is a biological
hazard. Lifting a person, though the same object, is a physical hazard.
Refer to the workplace hazards fact sheets for more examples. Your
completed chart may look like the following:
Physical Chemical Biological
Loud noises Pesticides Grain dust

Ladders, staircases Cleaning products Human blood
Hot ovens Paints Large animals
Power takeoff Fertilizers Manure pits
Tractor
Freezer, cold places
Very hot or cold weather
6. Ask:
Looking at these lists of hazards we just created, which
ones can be found on a farm?
Star the agricultural hazards.

Mapping Hazards (30 minutes) TEACHER TIP:
Note: You may not have enough time to complete this activity during this
class period. You may want to extend this activity to your next class If you want to save
session. Students will map hazards again in Lesson 4 as part of designing time in class, give
a prevention plan. Mapping hazards here will prepare students to com- this exercise as a
plete the activities in Lesson 4 in less time and give them an opportunity homework assign-
to use workplaces that are familiar to them. ment.
1. Explain:
Once you know the basic kinds of hazards, you can begin
to identify them in the workplace. When you walk into a
workplace, use what you know about hazards to identify
them.
Although each workplace is unique, the types of dangers

in each are not. In any workplace you may find physical
hazards such as noise, moving machine parts, or other
dangerous equipment. Chemical hazards, such as pesti-
cides or cleaning products, or biological hazards, such as Although
human blood, grain dust, or manure pits, also may be
present. If you remember the basic hazard categories, it each
will be easier to see them in many different workplaces.
workplace is
Hazards at a workplace may change from day to day. If,
for example, a large shipment of supplies comes in and unique, the
needs lifting and carrying, a new physical hazard is cre-
ated. You will want to be aware of new hazards that come types of
into your work environment each day. We are going to
practice analyzing work environments for hazards by dangers in
developing hazard maps.
2. Show the class Overhead 2.4. Explain:

each are not.
This simple map shows the basic layout of a grocery store.
You will be working in small groups to create maps like
this of different types of workplaces. Work together using
the butcher paper and markers. You do not need to draw
fancy maps.
3. Explain:
To begin the map, draw a rough floor plan of the work-
place you are studying. The floor plan should show rooms, OVERHEAD 2.4
work areas, major fixtures and equipment, doors, and
windows.

Once your floor plan is drawn, decide where the hazards
are located. Mark these locations on the floor plan using
the markers. Label the type of hazards you find with this
code:
OVERHEAD 2.5
• P to show physical hazards.
• C to show chemical hazards.
• B to show biological hazards.
You may want to write this code on the board so students can refer to
it. Label a few of the hazards on the overhead using this coding sys-
tem.
Explain:
If you are not sure whether something is a hazard, mark it
anyway. It is always better to ask if something is a hazard
than to ignore it and find out later that it was a hazard,
It is always because you or someone else became injured or ill.
better to ask 5. Divide the class into small groups of three or four students. Have each
group select a type of workplace to study. It would be best, if they
choose one of their own workplaces, but they could also use one of the
if something following:
is a hazard • Farm (barn, machine shop, feedlot, or cropland)

• Restaurant
• Nursing home
than to • Movie theater
• Office
ignore it and
The same workplace can be assigned to more than one group. If pos-
sible, each group should include some students who have worked in, or
find out are familiar with, that type of workplace.
later. Note: If you are short on time, provide the workplace maps for stu-
dents. Have them fill in the hazards found there.
6. Give each group a set of markers and a large sheet of butcher paper.
7. Allow the groups at least 15 minutes to complete their maps. If some

groups get done with their maps before others do, encourage them to
go back and read their hazard fact sheets to see if any hazards were
missed.
8. Then have each group choose one person to report to the class. Each
group’s spokesperson will have one or two minutes to explain their
map. Have at least four groups report. If groups begin to repeat the
same hazards, ask them to focus on hazards that have not yet been
mentioned.
Note: Possible hazards for each workplace are listed in the teacher’s
key included in this lesson.

9. Explain:
Whenever you are in a workplace, make a mental map of
where the hazards are, just as you did today. Tomorrow, we
will talk about what can be done to reduce the risk of
workplace hazards, once they have been identified.
10. Have students fill out their “Performance Criteria and Checklist” for
today’s work.
“PERFORMANCE CRITERIA AND

CHECKLIST” HANDOUT
Taking It Home:
Have students do the following assignment:
Give each student a copy of the “Workplace Safety Attitude Survey.”

Explain:
This is a survey about workplace safety attitudes. I would “WORKPLACE SAFETY ATTITUDE
like you to fill this survey out as honestly as you can. SURVEY”
Read each statement and ask yourself whether you agree

or disagree with it. Think about your current or past work
situations. Does this statement describe your attitude in
that workplace?
Take your time reading and considering each statement.

No answers are right or wrong. I am looking for your opin-
ions. You will not be graded on your answers, but you will
get credit for completing the survey.
Again, be as honest as you can. If you have not worked,

think about what your attitudes are right now as you
think about working in the future. You will hand in this
survey during our next class session.
Footnotes:
1 National Safety Council. 2011. “Injury Facts: 2011 Edition.” 210p.
Full report:
www.nsc.org/safety_work/FirstAidResource/InstructorResource/Documents/
Injury_Facts_2011.pdf
Occupational pages: www.nsc.org/safety_work/Resources/Documents/IF_pgs52-83.pdf.
Note: Portions of this lesson are adapted from the “Teen, Work, and Safety” curriculum
distributed by the Labor Occupational Health Program, Center for Occupational and
Environmental Health, University of California, Berkeley.

Overhead 2.1
A Body’s Response
To Hazards
Temporary
versus
Permanent
Immediate
versus
Later in Life

Overhead 2.2
Pathways of Exposure
Physical Hazards
Energy is transferred to a worker
in a variety of ways:
Heat (burns)
Falling
objects
Falling
from heights

Overhead 2.3
Pathways of Exposure
Biological and Chemical
Hazards
Workers are exposed to
these hazards by
the following means:
Inhalation (breathing in)
Absorption (passing
through skin)
Entrance through
cuts or abrasions
Ingestion (swallowing)
Overhead 2.4
Example Hazard Map:

A Grocery Store
Storage
Walk-in Freezer
Deli
Bakery
Produce
Aisles
Parking Checkout
Lot
Carryout

Overhead 2.5
Example Hazard Map:

A Grocery Store
Storage
Heavy boxes
High shelves
Elevations or Walk-in Freezer
heights Confined space
Chemicals Deli/Meat
Cold Dept.
Oven Slicer
Bakery Knives
Shrink wrap—hot!
Mixers Raw meats
Knives Heavy boxes
Produce
Heavy
Box cutters boxes
Aisles Sharp objects
Slippery surfaces
Repetitive
motions
Parking Checkout
Lot
People (assault)
Moving cars Carryout
Heavy loads

Teacher’s Key: Possible Hazards Identified on
On a Farm
Student Hazard Maps
In and around a barn: In a machine shop:
Ladders or hay loft (falling) Chemicals
Animals Power tools (cuts, electrocution)
Dust, molds Truck or car jack
Chemicals (milking barns) Dust
Conveyor belts Moving parts in motors
Manure pits Noise
Silos or other enclosed bins Toxic gases
Tractors
In and around a feedlot: On cropland:

Animals Tractors
Manure pits (toxic gases) Power takeoff
Silos or other enclosed bins Moving parts (chopping, cutting)
Grain wagons Pesticides and other chemicals
Tractor rollovers and runovers Holes
Electric fencing Sun and heat
Barbed wire fencing Dust, molds, pollen
Insect bites Noise
Noise Insects
Fast Food Restaurant

Cooking equipment (burns, electrocution) Hot grease
Sharp knives Slicers/meat cutters
Slippery floors Chemicals (cleaners, pesticides)
Money (robbery) Heavy objects
Standing for long periods of time
Nursing Home
Heavy objects (people) Human bodily fluids
Chemicals (disinfectants, cleaners) Standing for long periods of time
Needles Medicines
Cooking equipment Slippery floors
Moveable beds Physical therapy equipment
Physical violence
Movie Theater
Popcorn, hot dog and coffee machines (burns) Slippery floors
Ladders Cleaning products
Money (robbery) Standing for long periods
Dark environments (falls)
Office
Cords or loose carpeting Electric circuits
Poor indoor air quality Computer keyboards/mouse
Computer monitors Sitting for long periods of time
Repetitive work

Name: _______________________________________ Class Period: ________________
Workplace Safety Attitude Survey

For each of the following statements, check the response that best fits what you think or believe right now.
Be as honest as possible. This survey will not be graded.
Strongly Disagree Agree Strongly

Disagree Agree
1. My health is very important to me. ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

2. A workplace injury or illness will never happen to me. ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑
3. If I do not watch out for my own health, I can’t assume anyone else will. ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑
4. Workplace injuries or illnesses just happen. I can’t do anything about ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑
them.
5. It is worth the inconvenience to take the necessary precautions to be ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

safe at work.
6. I do not worry about workplace injuries or illnesses. ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

7. People may think I am strange if I am concerned about safety at work. ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑
8. I am more careful than other people, so I do not think I will get injured ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑
at work.
9. If I had to choose between completing my job quickly and being safe, I ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

would choose to be safe.
10. If I get injured at work, it will most likely be minor. ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

11. A person could get fired by questioning safety on the job. ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑
12. If someone gets injured at work, it is their own fault. ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑
13. I do not care what other people think. I would rather be safe than sorry. ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑
14. You really cannot predict how or when people are going to get hurt. ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑
15. If it would make my job faster, I would remove protective equipment on ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑
machinery.
16. Some jobs, like office work, are totally safe. ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

17. I would give up a high-paying job if I thought it was unsafe. ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑
18. Even if protective clothing was uncomfortable or seemed unnecessary ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑
for the job, I would still wear it.
19. I do not pay much attention to written safety warnings. Most of them ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑
are unnecessary.
20. If I worked at a job for a long time and never got hurt, I would still be ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑
concerned about injuries or illnesses.

SO
LES N
Preventing Workplace
3 Injuries and Illnesses
Fact:
Description: Key Concepts:
Fifty-one percent of
Students are introduced to the 1. Most workplace injuries and
ABC’s of preventing workplace illnesses can be avoided by teens injured at work
injuries or illnesses. They then taking the right preventative reported receiving no
brainstorm ways to apply the steps.
ABC prevention strategies to safety training and
example hazards. They also 2. Three main ways to prevent eighteen percent re-
discuss the reasons workers workplace injuries or ill-
choose to take risks in the nesses are represented by ported that no supervi-
workplace, even when they know the letters ABC: sor was present at the
hazards are present.
time of their injury.1
• Administration
Learner Outcomes: • Building barriers

Students will be able to do the • Communication
following:
3. The best way to prevent
1. Describe three strategies workplace injuries is to
used to prevent workplace design engineering controls KEY TO SYMBOLS:
injuries or illnesses. (part of Building barriers),
such as shields, guards, etc.
2. List examples within each This strategy is the best OVERHEADS
prevention strategy. prevention strategy because
it does not depend on people
3. Identify the pros and cons of making safe choices every
taking risks in the work- time. You change the envi-
place. ronment, which is easier to HANDOUTS
control and more reliable
4. Perceive that workplace than people.
injuries or illnesses can be
prevented. SUPPLIES
5. Identify the attitudes that

help a person remain safe in
the workplace.
NOTABLE
FACTS
TEACHER
TIPS
Work Safe, Work Smart 3.1 Lesson 3: Preventing Workplace Injuries and Illnesses
Needed: 1. Review the “ABC Prevention Strategies” fact sheet, so you are familiar
❑ Overhead 1.1 (from with the three main prevention strategies and the examples of each.
each class period, You may want to make class sets of these fact sheets rather than
Lesson 1 and 2) individual sets.
❑ Overheads 3.1-3.5
❑ “ABC Prevention 2. Review the “Workplace Safety Attitude Survey” (distributed to stu-
Strategies” fact sheet dents at the end of Lesson 2), so you are familiar with these attitude
❑ “Hazard Prevention statements.
Worksheet”
❑ Chalkboard or easel 3. Think through the costs and benefits of different safety measures.
❑ “Material Safety Data
Sheet” 4. Make copies of the “Material Safety Data Sheet” (MSDS). You may
❑ “Material Safety Data want to make class copies or put this form on an overhead. The ammo-
Sheet Questions and nia cleaner is a concrete example of a chemical with an MSDS.
Key”
❑ Bottle of ammonia
cleaner
Directions:
The ABC’s of Injury Prevention (25 minutes)
“ABC PREVENTION 1. Give each student a copy of the “ABC Prevention Strategies” fact sheet.
STRATEGIES” HANDOUT Explain:
This fact sheet outlines three basic ways to prevent inju-
ries or illnesses in the workplace. These three ways are
represented by the letters A, B, and C.
Allow students about five minutes to read through the fact sheet.
OVERHEADS 3.1-3.4 2. Show Overhead 3.1. Review each strategy using Overheads 3.2, 3.3,
and 3.4.
3. Explain:
Since it is easier and more reliable to change the workplace
than the worker, the most important prevention strategies
will be those that involve engineering controls (part of
Building barriers). Employers should apply these strate-
gies first.
For example, if workers often get burns when making

french fries in a hot oil fryer, you could teach workers a
different way to handle the equipment. To prevent burns,
however, people would have to apply this training every
time they worked with the fryer.
Lesson 3: Preventing Workplace Injuries and Illnesses 3.2 Work Safe, Work Smart
It would be better to build a barrier, like a shield that
prevents oil from splattering on workers. The shield would
always be in place, so you wouldn’t have to depend on
workers doing something correctly to keep themselves safe.
The shield does the work. The workers don’t have to. That
method is the safest way to design a workplace.
Distribute the “Hazard Prevention Worksheet” to the students. Allow

students time to read the handout. Select several of the hazards listed HAZARD PREVENTION
to review with the students. Allow the opportunity for students to WORKSHEET
practice the ABC’s of prevention by talking through the classification
process.
4. In order to further practice the ABC’s of prevention, draw three col-

umns on the chalkboard or easel. Label them “Administration,” “Build-
ing Barriers,” and “Communication.” Say:
Let’s work through some hazard situations to show how we
may apply the three ways of preventing injuries or ill-
nesses.
5. Show Overhead 1.1, which partially was filled out by this class during
OVERHEAD 1.1
Lesson 1. Say:
Let’s take one of the injuries or illnesses we identified
during our first session. First, what are the hazards that
caused each of these injuries or illnesses?
Write students’ answers in the right-hand column on the overhead.

Select one of the hazards from the right-hand column. Ask:
Using the ABC’s of prevention, how could we prevent inju-
ries or illnesses from this hazard? Since building barriers
is the best prevention, let’s begin with “Building barriers.”
What kind of engineering controls could be built to protect
workers?
Write barrier strategies for this hazard on the chalkboard. A variety of

hazards are used as examples below. The following are some possible
answers:
Building barriers:
Engineering Controls
• Build a shield on application equipment to reduce exposure to
fertilizer.
• Purchase equipment with guards around moving parts.
• Install seat belts and rollover protection equipment (ROPS) on
tractors.
• Install nonslip flooring.
• Store chemicals in a locked cabinet.
• Install vents to get rid of smoke.
Personal Protective Equipment
• Use protective gear such as gloves, respirators, and safety clothing.
• Wear gloves when using cleaning products.
7. Fill in the “Administration” and the “Communication” examples as

well. The following are some possible answers for each column:
Administration:
Administration involves the rules and procedures put in place to

protect workers. Most administrative activities will be done by your
employer or supervisor.
• Set up procedures stating where and how cleaning products should
be stored.
• Require that everyone working in a noisy area wear earplugs.
• Limit the amount of time each person spends typing.
• Allow no food in the work area.
• Set a time limit for how long workers must wait before going into a
field after it has been sprayed with pesticides.
• Set an age limit for working with an auger.
Communication:
• Train workers to apply pesticides safely.

• Teach people about the potential health problems caused by
contact with human blood.
• Train people to store and dispose of cleaning products safely.
• Post safety reminders on bulletin boards and in hallways and areas
frequented by the workers.
8. Go through a number of hazards discussed by students in the first

lesson using this ABC process.
9. Explain:
Last session we identified hazards in a workplace. Once a
hazard has been identified, we can take steps to prevent it
from injuring someone by using the ABC’s.
Some preventative actions, such as setting up rules and

procedures, are your employer’s responsibility. But if you
see a hazard in the workplace, you can bring the hazard to
the attention of your employer.
Most employers encourage their workers to identify work-

place hazards. Some even offer bonuses for employees who
come up with good safety ideas. Be aware that some em-
ployers try to save money or time by allowing their employ-
ees to work in unsafe situations. All workers have the right
to a safe workplace.
Understanding A Material Safety Data Sheet
(10 minutes)
1. Hold up a bottle of ammonia. Ask:
How many of you use ammonia or some type of cleaner at
work? What are the potential hazards of using a product
such as this? How can you find out?
2. Explain:
Your employer should always tell you the hazards in your
workplace. If you are working with chemicals such as
ammonia, they should also provide you with a form called a “MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET”
Material Safety Data Sheet. “MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET
QUESTIONS AND KEY”
Give each student a “Material Safety Data Sheet” or display the
overhead.
An MSDS form, as they are called, lists all the hazards

related to using a particular chemical. This MSDS form is
for an ammonia cleaner. This form tells you what the
chemical is made of, what the health effects from being
exposed to this chemical could be, and how to store and TEACHER TIP:
dispose of the chemical. Ask your school
custodian for
examples of
You can see, just by looking at this form, that it’s not easy MSDS forms for
to read. But if you read carefully, it tells you what the chemical products
health concerns are with using ammonia. used at your
school. Share
3. Read questions from the “Material Safety Data Sheet Questions and these forms with
Key” out loud to the group. Then have students locate the answers on students.
the MSDS form. Use the key to check students’ answers. Ask as many
questions as time or interest permits.
4. Explain:
If you are ever in a work situation in which you are using
chemicals, be sure to ask for an MSDS form and have your
employer explain it to you.
Working around hazardous chemicals is very serious. You

may not feel the effects right away. Health problems may
present themselves later in life. Some of the immediate
effects of working with hazardous chemicals are fatigue,
headaches, and sleep disturbances. Some effects that show
up later may be cancers, memory problems, birth defects,
and sterility.
5. Explain:
Information on an MSDS may be complicated. If you have
any questions, be sure to ask your employer. Your employer
is required by law to share this information with you.
Analyzing Workplace Attitudes (15 minutes)

Note: The purpose of this discussion is not to persuade students to your
point of view but to help them discover for themselves what their own level
of acceptable risk in the workplace is.
Even if students come to a conclusion that you do not agree with, it is

important to give students that freedom in this discussion. Do not take an
argumentative stance. Your role is to facilitate discussion.
1. Ask:
Even if an employer does everything they can to prevent
work injuries and illnesses, people still become injured
while working. Why do you think that is?
(Possible answers: A worker may not recognize that something is a

hazard; even if workers recognize a hazard, they may still continue
working around that hazard without using the prevention strategies.)
2. Ask:
Why might a person work around hazards without setting
up prevention measures?
Look over the workplace safety attitude survey from Lesson 2 you
filled out before class. Discuss some of the attitude statements and how
those attitudes may affect health.
(Possible answers: Prevention is uncomfortable; busyness and rushing;

concern over what the boss or other workers may think; underestimat-
ing the danger; not knowing how to fix the danger; habit.)
3. Ask:
People sometimes take risks with things they know are
hazards. Can you name some things you or other people do,
even though they may be risky?
(Possible answers: Drive fast; smoke; boat without wearing a life jacket;
ride a motorcycle without a helmet; drink and drive.)
4. Ask:
Can you name some things you or other people would not
do, because they are too risky?
(Possible answers: Jumping out of a plane without a parachute; racing

across railroad tracks right in front of a train.)
How do you decide how much of a risk you are willing to
take? How do you know where to draw the line?
5. Explain:
Each of us has to weigh the costs and benefits of being safe
or taking a risk. We have to decide what balance between
these two things is acceptable to us.
Let’s take the situation of whether to install a guard on a

piece of equipment. A guard is a device that prevents you
(usually your hand) from getting caught in moving equip-
ment. What are the benefits for you of taking this safety
measure?
6. Show Overhead 3.5. Write “machine guard” in the “Safety Measures”

column. Write the benefits that students describe in the second col-
umn.
OVERHEAD 3.5
(Possible answers: Won’t lose an arm or finger; won’t lose your job due to
injury; you can work fast without worrying; don’t feel as stressed.)
7. Ask:
What are the costs to you in having the machine guard in
place? Write these in the third column.
(Possible answers: It may be inconvenient; it may slow you down; it may

take more effort to work around it; the chances of you getting hurt may
seem so small, it seems like a waste of time.)
Looking at these benefits and costs, how would you weigh

the two? Would you leave the machine guard on or take it
off? Would you be willing to risk losing your arm, for ex-
ample, if you thought you could work faster?
(Again, allow students to give an honest, serious answer. Do not try to

argue with them.)
8. Work through several examples of safety measures. Discuss the ben-

efits and costs of each measure. Other possible examples could include
not wearing hearing protection or not using gloves while using clean-
ing products.
(Possible answers: Benefits of hearing protection: don’t lose hearing;

protect ears from having reduced hearing. Costs of hearing protection:
can’t hear other people; can’t listen for other hazards or machinery that
sounds wrong; they are hot; they hurt your ears.)
(Possible answers: Benefits of wearing gloves with cleaning products:

protect skin from chemicals; hands don’t dry out, get chapped, or dirty;
can work with a chemical longer; can clean harder. Costs of wearing
gloves with cleaning products: hard to grab objects with them; hot; work
may take longer; other people may think you are overly concerned.)
9. Explain:
When you enter the work world, you take on a new level of
responsibility for yourself and your coworkers.
We are often tempted to go for the short-term convenience

of taking a risk rather than the long-term benefits of being
safe. But that choice can sometimes lead to long-term
injuries or illnesses.
Preventing injuries or illnesses is a two-step process. First,

identify the hazard. Second, apply the ABC’s to reduce risk
and prevent injury. Tomorrow, we will have the opportunity
to further practice this two-step process.
10. Have each student turn in their completed “Workplace Safety Attitude
Survey.” They will be graded on turning in the survey and not on their
answers, since the answers are students’ opinions.
11. Say (only if students have individual copies of fact sheets):

Remember to bring all your fact sheets to class next time,
including the one you received today.
12. Before the session is over, have students check off tasks on their
“Performance Criteria and Checklist.”
Taking It Home:
No homework assigned for this class session. Remind students to bring all
their fact sheets to the next class session (unless you have provided only
classroom sets).
Footnote:
1 Massachusetts Department of Public Health. 2012. “Preventing Injuries to Working Teens.”
http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/dph/occupational-health/teen-surveillance-update-12.pdf
Overhead 3.1
The ABC’s of Injury and Illness

Prevention
Administration
Building barriers
Communication
Overhead 3.2
Administration
Rules and procedures put
in place by an employer to limit
workers’ exposures to hazards
• Require people to
rotate jobs
• Regulate people’s workloads
and exposure
• Require protective gear
or practices
Overhead 3.3
Building barriers
• Engineering Controls
Protecting an employee by
putting a barrier between a
person and the hazard
—Shields
—Guards
—Ventilation
—Removal of the hazard
—Locked cabinets
• Protective equipment
—Earplugs
—Masks
—Gloves
—Respirators
—Boots
Overhead 3.4
Communication
Training and information provided
to workers, so they understand
what hazards are in the work-
place and how to avoid them
• Teach people about
potential hazards
• Train them to do their
jobs safely
• Tell people who to talk to
when they have questions
about worker safety
Overhead 3.5
Safety
Measures Benefits Costs
ABC Prevention Strategies
Once workplace hazards have been identified, strategies can be used to prevent these hazards from causing
injuries or illnesses. Three main prevention strategies are listed below. They are easily remembered by
thinking of the letters ABC. Most often, the employer will use these strategies to make the workplace safe.
Workers can also suggest these strategies to their employers. Once these strategies are in place, workers
should use them.
Prevention Strategies Examples
Administration • Establishing a rule that requires workers to wear personal protective

equipment, such as gloves, goggles, or respirators.
Definition: The rules and • Requiring people to rotate jobs, so a worker is only exposed to a
procedures put in place by an hazard for a short time.
employer to limit workers' • Disciplining workers, if they remove protective guards on machinery.
exposures to hazards.
• Setting a rule that workers should not lift more than a certain weight.
• Establishing a rule that requires workers to wash their hands after
working with hospital patients.
Building barriers Engineering Controls (removing the hazard or changing equipment to

eliminate the hazard):
Definition: Creating a physi- • Using less toxic cleaners or pesticides (removing the hazard from
cal barrier between a hazard the workplace).
and a worker by the following • Installing ventilation to remove toxic gases or smoke.
means: • Using machines that require two hands to start, so both hands are
out of the way.
• Removing the hazard.
• Properly storing hazardous chemicals in a locked cabinet.
• Putting space between the • Keeping controls a safe distance from the hazard (e.g., x-ray
worker and the hazard. machines).
• Putting a physical object
between the hazard and Guards and Shields:
the worker. • Putting shields or guards in front of dangerous equipment (e.g.,
saws or augers).
Personal Protective Equipment:

• Wearing personal protective equipment such as hard hats, steel-toed
boots, gloves, hearing protection, respirators, goggles, and face
shields.
Communication •
•
Requiring safety training for all workers.
Providing each employee with a written safety manual.
• Giving copies of Material Safety Data Sheets to workers. These
Definition: Training and
sheets give hazard information about chemicals that workers may be
information provided to
using.
workers, so they understand
• Notifying an employer when equipment is not functioning properly.
what hazards are found in
• Establishing a safety committee which includes workers.
the workplace and how to
avoid them.
Hazard Prevention Worksheet
The following are examples of ways the ABC’s of prevention may be used to prevent injuries or illnesses from
different hazards.
Hazard Administration Building Barriers Communication
Heavy 1. Require heavy boxes 1. Store boxes close to where they 1. Train workers to
Boxes to be stored on middle need to be carried. carry heavy
shelves. objects correctly.
2. Move heavy boxes with a forklift.
2. Limit the amount of
weight a person is 3. Replace heavy boxes with
allowed to carry. smaller, lighter boxes.
Cash 1. Require at least two 1. Install bulletproof glass around 1. Show workers how
Register employees to be in the cash register. to transfer money
the store at all times. from the cash
2. Store most of the money in a register to a safe.
safe, for which only security
(and not even the manager) 2. Teach workers
knows the combination. what to do in
emergencies.
Cleaning 1. Develop cleaning 1. Use the least toxic cleaning 1. Train employees
Products procedures that products possible. to use cleaning
protect the worker. products correctly.
2. Use protective equipment (e.g.,
gloves, mask).
3. Store cleaning products in a

cabinet away from workers.
Lawn- 1. Set procedures for 1. Use machines that automati- 1. Train employees
mower using the mower. cally turn off when the handle to recognize and
grip is released. avoid unsafe
conditions associ-
2. Install guards on all rotating ated with operat-
equipment, with which employ- ing lawn mowers.
ees may come into contact.
3. Provide protective equipment

(e.g., steel-toed shoes, earplugs,
gloves).
Indoor 1. Rotate work when- 1. Open windows and doors to 1. Train workers to
Paint ever possible, so allow ventilation. work with paints
workers spend less in the safest way
time around toxic 2. Use the least toxic paints possible.
fumes. possible.
2. Require workers to 3. Provide protective equipment

take breaks. (e.g., respirators).
Hazard Prevention Worksheet (continued)
Outdoor 1. Provide shaded rest 1. Wear protective creams to 1. Teach workers

Work areas. avoid exposure to ultraviolet about the hazards
light. associated with
2. Rotate workers to sun exposure.
minimize exposure 2. Wear broad-brimmed hats that
to sun. shade head, neck, face, and
ears.
3. Provide drinking water.
Deep 1. Require employees 1. Set up shields, so workers do 1. Train workers to

Fryer to allow oil to cool not come into contact with properly use and
before cleaning the splattered hot oil. clean the fryer.
fryer.
2. Provide protective equipment
2. Require employee for workers.
training before use.
3. Purchase a fryer that is easier
to use and clean.
Human 1. Require workers to 1. Use needles that do not re- 1. Train workers to
Infections wash their hands quire recapping. properly work
after contacting with infected
contaminated 2. Provide protective equipment persons and waste
materials. (e.g., gloves, masks). products.
2. Set up procedures 3. Provide infectious waste

for proper disposal containers.
of contaminated
materials. 4. Provide clothing different from
regular street clothes.
5. Provide proper ventilation and

disinfection of work areas.
Power 1. Require use of safety 1. Provide protective guards on 1. Train workers to

Auger guards whenever the the power auger. properly use the
machine is operated. auger.
2. Set controls at a distance from
2. Set up procedures for the power auger.
proper use of a power
auger. 3. Set up controls so a person has
to use both hands to start the
auger.
Material Safety Data Sheet
24 Hour Emergency Telephone:
ACME Chemical: 1-800-XXX-XXXX
Ammonia Solution, Strong

MSDS Number: A5472 --- Effective Date: 10/01/2010 Supercedes 05-2000
1. Product Identification
Synonyms: Ammonia Aqueous; Aqua Ammonia.
CAS No.: Not applicable to mixtures.
Molecular Weight: Not applicable to mixtures.
Chemical Formula: Not applicable to mixtures.
Product Codes: 9724, 9726
2. Composition/Information on Ingredients
Ingredient CAS No. Percent Hazardous
Ammonia 7664-41-7 27 - 31% Yes

Water 7732-18-5 69 - 73% No
3. Hazards Identification
Emergency Overview
POISON! DANGER! CORROSIVE ALKALINE SOLUTION. CAUSES
BURNS TO ANY AREA OF CONTACT. HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED,
INHALED OR ABSORBED THROUGH SKIN.
J. T. Baker SAF-T-DATA(tm) Ratings (Provided here for your convenience)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Health Rating: 3 - Severe (Poison)
Flammability Rating: 1 - Slight
Reactivity Rating: 2 - Moderate
Contact Rating: 3 - Severe (Corrosive)
Lab Protective Equip: GOGGLES & SHIELD; LAB COAT & APRON; VENT
HOOD; PROPER GLOVES
Storage Color Code: White Stripe (Store Separately)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Potential Health Effects

----------------------------------
Ammonia is very alkaline and reacts corrosively with all body tissues.
Inhalation:
Corrosive. Extremely destructive to tissues of the mucous
membranes and upper respiratory tract. Symptoms may include burning
sensation, coughing, wheezing, laryngitis, shortness of breath,
headache, nausea and vomiting. Inhalation may be fatal as a result of
(Material Safety Data Sheet, continued)
spasm inflammation and edema of the larynx and bronchi, chemical

pneumonitis and pulmonary edema.
Ingestion:
Corrosive. Swallowing can cause severe burns of the mouth,
throat, and stomach, leading to death. Can cause sore throat,
vomiting, diarrhea.
Skin Contact:
Dermal contact with alkaline corrosives may produce pain,
redness, severe irritation or full thickness burns. May be absorbed
through the skin with possible systemic effects.
Eye Contact:
Corrosive. Can cause blurred vision, redness, pain, severe
tissue burns and eye damage. Eye exposure may result in temporary or
permanent blindness.
Chronic Exposure:
Prolonged or repeated skin exposure may cause dermatitis.
Prolonged or repeated exposure may cause eye, liver, kidney, or lung
damage.
Aggravation of Pre-existing Conditions:

No information found.
4. First Aid Measures
Inhalation:
Remove to fresh air. If not breathing, give artificial
respiration. If breathing is difficult, give oxygen. Get medical
attention immediately.
Ingestion:
If swallowed, DO NOT INDUCE VOMITING. Give large quantities
of water. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. Get
medical attention immediately.
Skin Contact:
Immediately flush skin with plenty of water for at least 15
minutes while removing contaminated clothing and shoes. Get medical
attention immediately. Wash clothing before reuse. Thoroughly clean
shoes before reuse.
Eye Contact:
Immediately flush eyes with plenty of water for at least 15
minutes, lifting lower and upper eyelids occasionally. Get medical
attention immediately.
Note to Physician:
DO NOT induce emesis, perform gastric lavage or attempt
neutralization after ingestion. Dilution with milk or water may be of
benefit. Endoscopic evaluation may be required.
(Material Safety Data Sheet, continued)
5. Exposure Controls/Personal Protection
Airborne Exposure Limits:

For Ammonia:
—OSHA Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) - 50 ppm (TWA)
—ACGIH Threshold Limit Value (TLV) - 25 ppm (TWA), 35 ppm (STEL).
Ventilation System:
A system of local and/or general exhaust is recommended to keep
employee exposures below the Airborne Exposure Limits. Local exhaust
ventilation is generally preferred because it can control the emissions
of the contaminant at its source, preventing dispersion of it into the
general work area. Please refer to the ACGIH document, Industrial
Ventilation, A Manual of Recommended Practices, most recent edition,
for details.
Personal Respirators (NIOSH Approved):

If the exposure limit is exceeded, a full facepiece respirator
with an ammonia/methylamine cartridge may be worn up to 50 times the
exposure limit or the maximum use concentration specified by the
appropriate regulatory agency or respirator supplier, whichever is
lowest. For emergencies or instances where the exposure levels are not
known, use a full-facepiece positive-pressure, air-supplied
respirator. WARNING: Air purifying respirators do not protect workers
in oxygen-deficient atmospheres.
Skin Protection:
Wear impervious protective clothing, including boots, gloves, lab
coat, apron or coveralls, as appropriate, to prevent skin contact.
Eye Protection:
Use chemical safety goggles and/or a full face shield where
splashing is possible. Maintain eye wash fountain and quick-drench
facilities in work area.
Material Safety Data Sheet Questions and Key
1. What chemical is this MSDS for?

Strong Ammonia Solution
This chemical is common ammonia cleaner found in most grocery stores.
2. What are the ingredients that make up this chemical?

Ammonia and water
3. What “warning words” would you find on the chemical’s label (see Section 3 of the MSDS)?
POISON! DANGER! CORROSIVE ALKALINE SOLUTION. CAUSES BURNS TO ANY AREA OF
CONTACT. HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED, INHALED OR ABSORBED THROUGH SKIN.
4. Is this chemical . . . (Fill in the words listed in the MSDS Section 3)

Flammable: slightly
Corrosive: severely
Reactive when mixed with other chemicals: moderately
5. What protective equipment should you wear when using this chemical?
Goggles and shield; lab coat & apron; vent hood; proper gloves
6. What would happen to you if you ingested this chemical?

Swallowing could cause severe burns of the mouth, throat, and stomach, leading to death. Ingestion could
also cause sore throat, vomiting, and diarrhea.
7. What would happen if this chemical came into contact with your skin or eyes?
May produce pain, redness, severe irritation or full thickness burns. May be absorbed through the skin
with possible systemic effects. May cause blurred vision, redness, pain, severe tissue burns and eye dam-
age. Eye exposure may result in temporary or permanent blindness.
8. What would happen to you if you were exposed to this chemical over a long period of time (chronic
exposure)?
Prolonged exposure may cause dermatitis. Prolonged or repeated exposure may also cause eye, liver,
kidney, or lung damage.
9. What are some first aid measures you should take if the chemical is inhaled?
Remove to fresh air. If not breathing, give artificial respiration. If breathing is difficult, give oxygen. Get
medical attention immediately.
10. What do you think is the purpose of a MSDS?
Description: Fact:
Students create workplace 4. Demonstrate a positive The estimated cost of
safety plans for simulated work problem-solving attitude work-related injuries in
environments. The plans include toward workplace hazards.
hazard maps and safety action the United States in
plans. 5. Perceive that they can 2007 was $192
personally take steps to
billion.Work-related
make a workplace safer.
Learner Outcomes: illnesses cost an addi-
Students will be able to do the
following: Key Concepts: tional $58 billion.1
1. Each workplace has poten-
1. Identify hazards within a tial hazards (physical,
workplace environment. chemical, biological) that
should be identified.
2. Select appropriate preven-
tion strategies to address 2. Each person can take proac-
workplace hazards. tive steps to prevent injuries
or illnesses in his or her KEY TO SYMBOLS:
3. Create a plan by prioritizing workplace.
the order in which these
prevention strategies will be 3. Once prevention strategies OVERHEADS
implemented. are identified, they can be
used to make the workplace
safer.
HANDOUTS
SUPPLIES
NOTABLE
FACTS
TEACHER
TIPS
Work Safe, Work Smart 4.1 Lesson 4: Applying Prevention Strategies in the Workplace—Part I
Needed: 1. Make copies of the workplace scenario description and map for each
❑ Overhead 4.1 workplace (each student in a group should get both the description and
❑ “Safety Team Assign- the map of their workplace).
ment” sheet
❑ Workplace scenario 2. Photocopy a set of overheads by copying each workplace map onto a
descriptions and maps blank overhead. Make one set for every class.
(one copy for each
student assigned that 3. Make copies of the “Safety Team Assignment” sheet (one per student).
workplace)
❑ One set of overheads 4. Make copies of the “Workplace Safety Action Plan” sheet (copies for
of workplace maps for each group of students).
each class
❑ Overhead markers 5. Set up the overhead projector and overhead.
❑ Chalkboard or easel
❑ “Teacher’s Key: 6. Be sure students bring their fact sheets from past lessons to class or
Hazard Checklists for provide class copies of the fact sheets.
Workplace Scenarios”
❑ “Workplace Safety
Action Plan” sheet
❑ “ABC Prevention
Strategies” fact sheet
from Lesson 3
Directions:
Note: This activity may take longer than 50 minutes. You may want to
extend it over a two-day period or assign parts of it as a take-home
assignment.
Safety Team Assignments (10 minutes)

1. Explain:
In the last three class sessions, we have been talking about
workplace hazards, injuries or illnesses those hazards may
cause, and ways to prevent injuries and illnesses. During
the next two sessions, we are going to have the opportunity
to apply all we have learned.
2. Explain:
In some companies, a safety team of employees is assigned
to review the work and layout of the company for any
potential hazards. Once the hazards have been identified,
the safety team develops a safety action plan designed to
make the workplace safer. The company then implements
this plan to promote safety and health in the workplace.
The plan may also save the company money by decreasing
injuries and keeping production at high levels.
We are going to work through a similar process. Each of

you is going to work on a safety team to analyze a business
or workplace setting and come up with a safety action plan.
Lesson 4: Applying Prevention Strategies in the Workplace—Part I 4.2 Work Safe, Work Smart
During this class, you will be mapping the hazards in your
workplaces, developing prevention plans for those hazards,
and preparing to present your plans to your employers.
Your fellow students will act as employers, during our next
class session.
3. Divide students into groups of four. You may want to divide the stu-
dents into groups based on their interest in or knowledge of the specific
work environments. Give each student a copy of the “Safety Team WORKPLACE SCENARIO
Assignment” sheet. Students may read along as you give the instruc- DESCRIPTIONS AND MAPS
tions for this project, or the sheet may be distributed to the students
once they are in their small groups. “SAFETY TEAM ASSIGNMENT”
4. Give each person on a team a workplace scenario description and map
for one business. Also give each team the overhead map for their
business or workplace and an overhead marker. Have each person
silently read the description of their workplace.
5. When the students are done, say:

Team members are all employees of the same company
APPROPRIATE OVERHEAD MAP
and are developing the plan at work.
Mapping The Hazards (20 minutes) OVERHEAD

1. Explain: MARKER
The first step is to identify the potential hazards in this
workplace. The map you have gives you a basic layout of
the work area. From this map, identify the hazards there.
Write these hazards on your overhead map using the over-
head marker.
Have groups assign one person to write these hazards on the overhead
map. The rest of the group members can study their individual paper
copy of the map to brainstorm ideas.
The person writing on the overhead should write clearly. Groups will
be presenting this version of their map to the rest of the class, so it
should be easy to read.
2. Say:
Label the different types of hazards using the following
code:
• P to show physical hazards.
• C to show chemical hazards.
• B to show biological hazards.
You may want to write these codes on the chalkboard or easel.
3. Explain:
Remember to include hazards that could cause injuries or
illnesses right away and those that could cause injuries or
illnesses later in life.
If you are not sure what the hazards are, make your best
guess based on what you know about the types of hazards
In most and this type of workplace. Use your fact sheets from past
classes as a guide. Carefully read the description of your
cases, the workplace and look at the workplace map.
best The quality of your safety action plans will be determined
preventions by how thoroughly you analyze your workplace. You also
will be presenting your plans to the rest of the class next
require a session, so the map should clearly identify as many haz-
ards as possible.
change in the
4. Allow teams about 15 minutes to identify the hazards in their
workplace, worksite. Make sure they do not rush through this part of the project,
even though they may have created hazard maps before.
not a change
in worker Developing the Prevention Plan
behavior. (20 minutes)
1. Explain:
Now that you have identified the hazards in your work-
place, you need to develop plans to prevent injuries or
illnesses that could be caused by these hazards. We will
use a “Workplace Safety Action Plan” to complete this step.
2. Show Overhead 4.1 as an example of a completed “Workplace Safety

Action Plan.” Read through the completed form using the following
narrative, so students get an idea of how to fill it out:
OVERHEAD 4.1
First write the name of your company or organization at
the top of the sheet. Then fill in the left-hand column with
the hazards you identified. You should have only one haz-
ard in each row. You will be filling in more than one sheet.
Then, using the ABC formula (Administration, Building

Barriers, Communication), identify possible prevention
steps for each hazard. Try to identify two or three preven-
tative steps for each ABC category. Write them in the space
provided.
3. Give each team copies of the “Workplace Safety Action Plan” form.
Have students take out their fact sheets from previous lessons and use
these fact sheets as reference material for identifying prevention
strategies.
FACT SHEETS
4. Say:
Fill out “Workplace Safety Action Plan” forms for at least “WORKPLACE SAFETY ACTION
four of the hazards you identified on your map (one hazard PLAN” FORM
per group member).
Possible hazards and corresponding prevention strategies have been

included with each scenario. These checklists are only for the teacher’s
use in grading student projects.
5. When groups are done listing prevention strategies, ask:

How do you decide which prevention strategies to use? In
most cases, the best preventions are those that require a
change in the workplace, not a change in worker behavior. TEACHER TIP:
In most cases, changing the workplace will involve building
You may want
barriers of some type. students to
debate and then
6. Explain: vote on which
After you have filled in forms for a number of hazards, hazards to
decide as a group which two hazards you will address first. address first.
Which hazards seem the most serious? Write a paragraph
describing the two hazards and why you chose to address
them first. Also describe which prevention strategy you will
use for each hazard and why. Thoroughly explain your
choices.
7. Explain:
You have been requested by your employers to produce top
notch safety plans and present the plans to them during
our next class session. Your safety action plans and presen-
tations will be graded on the following criteria:
a. You demonstrate that you followed a clear decision-

making process.
b. Your plan and presentation are well-organized.
c. Your plan and presentation are thorough.
d. You demonstrate creativity by, for example, coming up

with unique solutions.
8. Save some time at the end of the class period to prepare for next
session’s presentation. The “Safety Team Assignment” sheet has a
detailed description of what is to be included in the presentations.
Here are some main points to go over with the class:
Each team should follow these presentation guidelines:
a. Each team will have approximately five minutes to

present their plan.
b. The presentation should include information about the

workplace.
c. Select up to four hazards and describe the safety action

plan for those four hazards.
d. Each person in the group should have a speaking role in

the presentation. Perhaps each team member could
describe the safety plan for one hazard.
e. The presentation should include some visuals, such as

the hazard maps, and any other creative techniques the
team may come up with to make their presentation
interesting.
f. Teams will be graded on the product they turn in (their

map, “Workplace Safety Action Plan” forms, and two-
paragraph narrative) as well as the presentation they
give.
9. Before class is over, have students check off tasks on their “Perfor-
mance Criteria and Checklist.”
Taking It Home:
Have students finish preparations for their presentations, if they did not
get them done in class.
Footnote:
1 Leigh. J. 2011. “Economic Burden of Occupational Injury and Illness in the United States.”
Milbank Quarterly 89(4): 728-772.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-0009.2011.00648.x/full
Overhead 4.1
Workplace Safety Action Plan (Example)

Company/Organization Name:__________________________________

Cleaning 1. Require workers to 1. Use the least toxic clean- 1. Train employees
Products wear rubber gloves ing products available. to use cleaning
when cleaning. products cor-
2. Use protective equipment
rectly.
(e.g., gloves, mask).
2. Give copies of
3. Store cleaning products in
Material Safety
locked cabinets away from
Data Sheets to
workers.
workers.
Walk-in 1. Require workers to 1. Install a two-way lock to 1. Provide safety

Freezer (Con- inform another em- prevent employees from training to
fined Space, ployee before entering becoming trapped inside workers regard-
Cold) the freezer area. the freezer. ing dangers of
2. Install an emergency freezer area.
call button in the freezer 2. Post visible safety
that rings throughout reminder signs on
the store. the outside of the
3. Have winter coats, freezer.
gloves, and hats avail-
able outside of the
freezer for workers to
wear while working in
the freezer area.
1. Require training in the 1. Install machine guards 1. Train employers

Meat slicer use of the meat slicer or shields on the meat to use the slicer
prior to working in the slicer. and knives
deli. properly.
2. Require use of a guard 2. Provide ongoing
whenever meat slicer supervision to
is in operation. spot-check safety
techniques.
Heavy Loads 1. Establish a weight 1. Use carts and lifting aids 1. Train employees
limit that can be lifted for heavy boxes. in safe lifting
by workers. techniques.
2. Lift boxes with the help
2. Rotate workers be- of a coworker.
tween stocking and
other jobs that don’t
require lifting.
Workplace Safety Action Plan

Company/Organization Name:__________________________________
Safety Team Assignment
1. Read through the description of your business or workplace.
2. Identify all the possible hazards in your workplace using the description and map.
3. Write these hazards on the overhead map using an overhead marker. Write clearly, so the whole
class will be able to read your writing.
4. Label the different types of hazards using this code:
P to show physical hazards

C to show chemical hazards
B to show biological hazards
5. Fill out at least one “Workplace Safety Action Plan” form.

a. List one hazard in each box in the left-hand column.
b. Brainstorm at least two prevention strategies for this hazard in each of the three categories—
Administration, Building barriers, and Communication.
6. For each hazard, decide which prevention strategy you will use. Building barriers is usually the
best choice.
7. Decide which two hazards seem the most serious. You will want the company to take care of these
hazards first.
8. As a group, write a paragraph describing these two hazards and why you chose to take care of them
first. Explain your choices thoroughly.
9. Plan a five minute presentation of your “Workplace Safety Action Plan” and map. You will be graded
on the following:
a. Your plan demonstrates a clear decision-making process.
b. Your plan and presentation are well-organized.
c. Your plan and presentation are thorough.
d. Your group demonstrates creativity in finding unique solutions.
10. Your group presentation should include the following:

a. Description of the workplace.
b. Description of the major hazards found in this workplace.
c. Description, by each group member, of one hazard and the prevention strategies the group came
up with for that hazard.
d. Description of which hazards your group is going to take care of first and why you chose those
hazards.
Green Thumb Landscaping
Green Thumb Landscaping is a medium-sized, family-owned, landscape business that
employs ten workers. They specialize in landscaping local businesses and expensive homes.
Until recently, family members have handled all the work. Now they are starting to hire
outside help and feel the need to make safety precautions clear to all workers. The company
is concerned about the welfare of their workers, as well as the welfare of its clients. Green
Thumb Landscaping would like you to develop a safety action plan for their company.
Much of Green Thumb Landscaping’s work involves the use of vehicles such as forklifts,
small dozers, skid loaders, pickup trucks and trailers, and other light duty vehicles. Power
equipment and tools that are used include lawn mowers and trimming equipment, tillers,
chain saws, and other carpentry power tools. Hand tools used include lopping sheers, wheel-
barrows and pushcarts, shovels, rakes, post hole diggers, and ladders.
Workers are involved in all of these tasks:
Preparing lawn areas—Prior to laying sod, black dirt is hauled in and spread with a skid
steer loader and small dozer. Shovels and rakes are also used.
Removing trees—Trees need to be cut down and removed. Chain saws and other trimming
equipment are used. All debris is loaded onto a trailer and hauled away.
Planting shrubs and flower beds—Designated areas need to have shrubs and flowers
planted. Digging of holes and preparation of soil is necessary. Proper fertilizers and pesti-
cides need to be applied.
Building retaining walls—Areas need to be prepared for retaining walls by placing and
installing timbers. Power drills, saws, and other related equipment are needed to complete
these tasks.
Paving stone patios—Patio areas need to be prepared and paving brick installed. Sand
needs to be hauled in with a truck and trailer. Leveling is accomplished with other hand
tools.
Note: There are many jobs that are illegal for teens to do. It is illegal for employers to make
teens do some of the tasks listed above.
Workplace Scenario Map—Green Thumb Landscaping
Pool
Deck
Woods
Lawn Home
Lawn
Drive
Burger Express
Burger Express is a chain of fast food restaurants. Five years ago, the first restaurant
opened. Today there are twenty, and the chain is growing at a rate of one new restaurant a
month. The stores are very busy from the time they open at 11:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. The
restaurants close at 1:00 a.m.
The menu consists of hamburgers, roast beef and chicken sandwiches, and salads. French
fries or onion rings are included with every sandwich. All the meats and vegetables are
chopped and prepared in the restaurant. The vegetables and meats are restocked from boxes
in the freezer/refrigerator. Clean-up begins at 11:00 p.m., when the floors, bathrooms, and all
non-cooking surfaces are cleaned. The deep fryer is also turned off at closing and immedi-
ately emptied, so it can be filled with fresh oil the next morning. One person remains after
1:00 a.m. to close out the register.
An employee usually works at one job for the entire shift. Employees receive thirty minutes
of training on that particular job when they are hired. However, when someone calls in sick
or there is a backup in one of the work areas, an employee may be asked to work at another
station on the spur of the moment. Not many procedures are set for clean-up during the day.
Workers do what they have time to do during slow periods.
Recently, Burger Express has had a number of worker injuries. Many of them have been
minor, such as bruises from slipping on the floor by the deep fryer and soda machines. The
company recognizes the potential for more serious injuries, however, as the business expands
and more employees are hired.
Due to the fast growth, the owners have not had time to put a safety action plan together for
their restaurants. Each restaurant is built exactly the same, so a single plan will work at all
restaurants. They are interested in safety ideas related to the design of the building and
work procedures.
Workplace Scenario Map—Burger Express
Dishwasher
70 lb.
Walk-in Boxes,
Stacked
Freezer Men Women
Drain
Dishwashing
Alley
Employee Access
Oven
Beverages
Cash
Prep Area Register
Slicer
Back
Door Meat
Service Counter
Picture Window
Veg. Prep. Prep.
Prep Area
Garbage
Deep Work Table

Fat Grill
Street
Fryer Microwave
Customer
Food Tables
Storage
7 ft. Storage Racks
Cleaning Supplies
Garbage
Entrance
7 ft. Storage Racks
Parking Lot
DairyLand Dairy Farms
DairyLand Dairy Farms is a large dairy operation. They have just built a new barn west of
town. The building will house 300 cows and is equipped with milking equipment, a small
veterinary office with some basic medical supplies, an automated feeding system, and an
earthen storage basin.
The facility has eight staff people working in rotating shifts. The four main jobs on the farm
are milker, barn manager, feeder, and herd manager.
The milker is in charge of milking the cows in the parlor. When the cows walk into the parlor,
they step onto a rotating platform. The milker stands down in a pit, from which he or she can
put the milking units onto the cows. Most of the milkers have to reach in order to put the
milking units on the cows. It takes approximately four hours to milk the 300 cows.
The milker then has to wash down the parlor with a sprayer and clean the pipeline using an
automatic washer. It is the milker’s responsibility to put the chemicals in the automatic
washer. The chemicals come in 100-gallon drums. The milker adds the chemical to the
automatic washer by dipping a hand-held cup into the drum.
The barn manager’s responsibility is to move cows from their pens to the holding area for
milking and then back to their pens. The barn manager also moves the manure to the
earthen lagoon.
The feeder’s job is to mix the feed using a tractor and auger wagon. The mix may consist of
haylage, silage, cottonseed, and corn. After the feed is mixed, it is put into the feed alley
using the tractor and auger wagon. The feed is mixed twice a day. The feeder also pushes up
the feed using a bobcat.
The herd manager is responsible for the care of the herd, including any health care. He or
she may treat cows for various ailments using syringes, needles, and pill givers that are
inserted down the animals’ throats. The herd manager also assists animals when they are
calving and treats sick calves.
DairyLand Dairy Farms is often short of help on the weekends, so workers often work shifts
that are longer than eight hours. The earthen storage basin does not have a fence around it,
and several animals have fallen into it. DairyLand Dairy Farms wants you to develop a
safety action plan for this new facility. They want safety measures to be in place within three
months.
Workplace Scenario Map—DairyLand Dairy Farms
Manure
Drive-in Drive-in Storage
Feed Feed Basin
Cow Walkway
Cow Walkway
Cow Walkway
Alley Alley
Service
Area
Automatic
Swing Gates
Machine
Shed/Shop
Automatic Automatic
Swing Gate Holding Area Swing Gate
Cow
Walkway
Sick Drive-in
Cow Feed
Area Alley
Milk Commodity
Room Milking Calf Storage
Parlor Pens
Office
Pleasant Meadow Nursing Home
Pleasant Meadow Nursing Home is a 100-bed facility for acute and long-term care. The
facility provides recreation, social programs, and rehabilitation for all residents. It also
provides physical therapy and treatment for patients recovering from hospitalizations.
A majority of the nursing home’s certified nursing assistants are still attending high school.
The students generally work the late afternoon or early evening shifts. Each nursing assis-
tant is usually responsible for 8 to 10 patients. The assistant’s duties are to provide direct
patient care, such as grooming, helping people to the bathroom, dressing, feeding, and lifting,
and to transfer patients to and from their beds and wheelchairs.
The high school nursing assistants sometimes work from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Staff shortages are
common, which means the caseload could jump to 14 or 15 patients per assistant. The typical
patient is bedridden and requires two people to transfer him or her from bed to chair. The
nursing home also receives patients who are recovering from surgery. These patients require
more nursing time.
Patients commonly have behavior problems such as biting, kicking, scratching, hitting,
swearing, or sexual harassment.
The nursing assistants use transfer belts to move patients from bed to chair. The mechanical
lift is not available due to needed repairs.
Patients usually take afternoon naps. Often the nursing assistants find patients incontinent.
The linen carts are often depleted by the afternoon, so the nursing assistants have to walk
down the hall to obtain new linen and dispose of soiled linen. If the patient needs a shower to
finish cleaning, the assistants must take the patient to the shower room. The shower room is
small, and the floor is slippery when wet.
Nursing assistants also help feed patients in the dining room. Feeding is time-consuming
and often very frustrating. The nearest handwashing facility in the dining room is in the
hallway. It is difficult to wash hands between patients in the dining room.
Workplace Scenario Map—Pleasant Meadow Nursing Home
Resident’s Resident’s
Room Room
Toilet Toilet
Resident’s Resident’s
Room Room
Dining
Room
Shower/ Laundry
Bath
Equipment Office Nurse’s

Station Kitchen
Prairie View Meat Processors
Prairie View Meat Processors is a large processor of beef, pork, lamb, venison, ostrich, and
buffalo meat for direct customer order and over-the-counter sales.
The company handles all aspects of processing, from receiving live animals to packaging the
meats for direct shipment to larger supermarkets or sale at the plant. Some steps in the
process include handling the live animals, killing the animals, cutting the carcasses into
retail cuts, using a smoker to flavor some cuts, packaging the product, stacking and sorting
packages, and selling and delivering meats to stores and customers.
The company would like to set up a safety plan for workers. A major concern is that English
is not the first language for many workers.
The demand for processed meats is great, and workers are required to work rapidly for long
periods of time. Some workers must handle the livestock. Once the animals are killed, the
meat is cut up using meat-cutting machines and knives.
The meat is wrapped and sealed in plastic using hot machinery. The processed meats are
then carried in large boxes to walk-in freezers for storage. Once sufficiently frozen, they are
loaded onto refrigerated trucks.
Workers have been complaining that the environment is noisy due to the many meat-cutting
machines running in close proximity to each other. Slippery floors are another concern, since
fat from the meat falls onto the floors.
The company is looking for your help to address these or other concerns that may be uncov-
ered during the development of a safety action plan.
Workplace Scenario Map—Prairie View Meat Processors
Alleyway
Killing
Floor
Unloading
Primary Dock
Processing Holding
Area Pens
Cold Storage—
Split Carcasses
Cold Storage—
Split Carcasses
Smoke House
Table
Meat Cutting
Power Area
Saw Power
Saw
Table
Utility
Room
Power
Saw
Power
Saw
Cash Register & Checkout

Cooler
Cold
Cooler Storage–
Wrapped
Cuts
Main
Entrance
Parking
Washington High School
Washington High School has had teens working as janitors for over ten years. Recently, a
number of student workers have been injured. School staff would like to set up safety precau-
tions and procedures to eliminate further injuries. They have requested your help in setting
up a safety action plan.
The areas of the school in which most injuries have occurred are as follows:
Science Lab: The science lab is used to teach a variety of science courses, including biology
and chemistry. Some of the hazards that need to be addressed in this area include the stor-
age and disposal of chemicals, the keeping of live animals, and the storage of sharp objects,
such as scalpels.
Cafeteria Kitchen: The kitchen prepares and serves meals to the student body. Hazards to
be addressed in this area include cleaning products, heavy boxes on high shelves, a walk-in
freezer, sharp objects such as knives and meat slicers, and slippery floors.
Boiler Room: The boiler furnace and main offices for the janitors are located in this room.
Hazards in this area include metal steps, hot objects (such as the boiler itself), slippery
floors, and electrical shock, as the school power lines enter the building in this area. Dust
and some asbestos might also be found in this area.
Locker Rooms: Cleaning the locker rooms involves working around chemicals, slippery
floors, hot water, and bacterial matter. The janitors may also contact bloody objects that have
not been disposed of properly.
Technical Education Room: This room contains a lot of chemicals and power tools (such as
saws and welders).
Workplace Scenario Map—Washington High School
Boys’
Locker
Room
Gym
Girls’
Locker
Room
Room 117
Room 115 Boys’ Girls’ Boiler Room

Lav. Lav.
Cafeteria Kitchen
Courtyard
Room 113 Greenhouse

Business Media
Computer Center
Lab
Industrial/
Technical
Complex
Room 111
Main
Office
Quick-Stop Convenience Store
Quick-Stop Convenience Store is a service station, grocery store, and deli under one roof. The
station offers basic car service, such as gas pumping, oil changes, tire rotation, tune-ups, and
simple repairs. In addition, there is an automatic car wash.
The grocery store and deli offer a variety of food products. Quick-Stop hires a number of high
school students to work as clerks in the grocery store/deli and as assistants in the auto
service center.
Employees in the grocery store/deli are responsible for food preparation, including slicing deli
meats and cheeses, filling hot display racks with pizzas and egg rolls, and restocking shelves
and coolers. Restocking involves lifting and carrying boxes to and from the storage room and
freezer/refrigerator.
The grocery store/deli portion of the business is open 24 hours a day. Usually, only one or two
people are working in the store in the evenings. Employees clean during the evenings when
store traffic is low. Usually, no adult employees are in the store at this time.
High school employees who work in the auto service center help with general auto mainte-
nance. They are often asked to help raise cars using the hoist. When the cars are elevated, an
open bay which is about six feet deep, is exposed beneath the car. Employees are asked to
carry auto wastes and chemicals to storage bins out back.
Some customers have complained about the noise in the building. Several workers have
complained of injuries due to lifting objects and slipping on floors. During the winter, air
quality is an issue, since the service center is attached to the grocery store and the gas
pumps are only eight feet from the doors.
The owners are planning to build a new store in a nearby town, and they want to address all
safety concerns in the existing store before they build a new one. The owners are looking for
your help in developing a safety plan for their existing store and service center.
Workplace Scenario Map—Quick-Stop Convenience Store
Car Wash
Men
Walk-in
Refrig. Freezer
Employee
Break
Women Room
Food Prep
Food Rack
Sink
Food Rack
Deli
Cashier
Storage
Gas Pumps
Food Rack
Compressor Car Bay

with Hoist
Car Tire
Bay Changers Chemicals
Used
Oil
Teacher’s Key: Hazard Checklists for Workplace Scenarios
FOR TEACHER USE ONLY
Prevention examples are listed after each possible hazard.
Green Thumb Landscaping Burger Express

PHYSICAL HAZARDS PHYSICAL HAZARDS
Working around heavy machinery. Falling objects on high storage racks.
Install warning device that beeps when equipment Replace racks with lower, wider racks.
is backing up. Provide appropriate safety ladders to reach top
Train staff to use equipment properly. shelves.
Require employees to wear bright-colored clothing. Store light objects (e.g., toilet paper, and paper
towels) on top shelves.
Heavy lifting.
Provide machinery to lift bags of sand. Heavy boxes.
Buy smaller, lighter bags of sand. Use mechanical aids for lifting boxes.
Train staff in proper lifting techniques. Train employees on proper lifting techniques.
Underground electrical wiring. Walk in freezer.

Set up procedures that must be followed to autho- Install latch on freezer door that can be opened
rize any digging. from the inside.
Power hand tools. Slippery floors near dishwasher, beverage

Adequately guard tools. machine, and deep fryer.
Train staff on potential danger of each tool. Use non-slip flooring.
Require mopping and drying of floor every hour.
Repetitive motions (raking, shoveling).
Rotate jobs. Meat slicer.
Train staff on the safe way to shovel. Place guard on slicer.
Limit the number of hours working at these types Instruct all employees on correct use of slicer.
of jobs. Require use of shield whenever slicer is in use.
CHEMICAL HAZARDS Knives used for cutting.

Fertilizers, pesticides, dust. Use food processor instead of knives.
Store chemicals in safe locations. Teach correct cutting techniques
Give MSDS to employees.
Provide masks when workers are in dusty environ- Hot oven.
ments. Provide rack puller.
Train staff to use, store, and dispose of chemicals Provide mitts for use with hot items.
properly. Inspect mitts regularly for damage.
BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS Hot oil.

Contact with blood. Set a rule requiring the temperature of the oil to be
Provide gloves in first aid kit. below a certain temperature before it may be
Train staff about ways to avoid infection. thrown away.
Create a spigot with a long handle that allows the
oil to drain into an enclosed, spill-proof disposal
unit.
Grill.
Use grill surface that changes color when hot.
(Burger Express continued next page)
Teacher’s Key: Hazard Checklists for Workplace Scenarios (continued)
(Burger Express, continued) (DairyLand, continued)

Picture window - late night closing. Moving parts in the auger.
Replace clear glass with glass that allows light in Provide guards.
but cannot be seen through. Require all guards to be in place prior to operation
Close earlier. of the auger.
Require at least two employees to close the store.
Injury when treating sick animals.
Unlit parking lots and back alleys. Use restraining equipment.
Put lights in the parking lots. Train staff on restraining method.
Require at least two people to close and walk out Provide biologic hazard containers for disposal of
together. used needles.
CHEMICAL HAZARDS CHEMICAL HAZARDS

Cleaning supplies for bathrooms, cooking Spills from chemical barrels.
surfaces, and floors. Put drip guards on chemical containers.
Provide gloves.
Require glove use. Contact with harmful chemicals.
Provide Material Safety Data Sheets and train staff Use proper protective equipment.
how to use MSDS. Use less toxic chemicals.
Train employees to use caution and read labels
BIOLOGIC HAZARDS when using chemicals.
Bathrooms and raw meat. Install a device to remove a chemical without
Require hand washing. placing a hand into the chemical barrel.
Provide educational information on biologic haz-
ards. BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS
Injury from needles when giving animals
GENERAL treatments.
Train workers in all tasks they will ever be ex- Provide needles that don’t require recapping.
pected to do. Require refresher training. Train staff on appropriate procedures.
Come in contact with infectious diseases.

Provide protective equipment.
Require proper disposal methods.
DairyLand Dairy Farms Train staff on appropriate procedures.
PHYSICAL HAZARDS
Movement of large animals.
Install gates to limit animal movement.
Make sure staff are trained in how to handle large
animals.
Pleasant Meadow
Low floor in parlor. People constantly reach-
Nursing Home
PHYSICAL HAZARDS
ing could cause back injuries.
Have an adjustable platform for workers. Falls on slippery floors.
Install non-slip flooring.
Cement floors are very slippery after being Set up warning signs in slippery areas.
washed.
Install non-slip flooring. Heavy lifting.
Repair broken Hoyer lift.
Slips and falls when scraping down the barns. Train staff in proper lifting techniques.
Provide boots with adequate traction.
(Pleasant Meadow continued next page)
(Pleasant Meadow, continued) (Prairie View, continued)

Physical and verbal abuse; stress. Freezer/refrigerators.
Limit careloads. Install latch on freezer door that can be opened
Hire more staff. from the inside.
Set up protocol to alert supervisors to abusive Provide proper clothing.
patients. Provide time out of cold areas on a regular basis.
Train staff to handle behavioral problems.
Assign senior staff to work with the most difficult Meat-cutting equipment.
cases. Insure all guards are used and maintained.
Give proper instruction.
CHEMICAL HAZARDS Use steel-mesh gloves to prevent cuts.
Cleaning chemicals. Rotate jobs to prevent repetitive motion injuries.
Purchase nontoxic cleaners.
Train staff to use, store, and dispose of chemicals Live animal control and movement.
properly. Design the facility with proper stalls and gates to
insure safety.
Cleaners for patient care. Give safety instructions.
Provide rubber gloves.
Train staff on proper use. Sharp objects.
Provide steel-mesh gloves.
BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS Train in proper cleaning precautions.
Contact with blood, communicable diseases, Set up procedures for safely storing objects.
and bacteria.
BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS
Teach staff how to clean patients properly.
Set up procedures for disposal of needles and Bloodborne pathogens contracted through
syringes. handling of meat.
Provide disposal bins for soiled items. Use gloves in all meat handling.
Post signs for hand washing.
Require immunizations for Hepatitis B. GENERAL HAZARDS
Require yearly tuberculosis screening. Language barriers.
Train staff about infectious diseases. Post safety instructions in English and other
languages as needed.
Color code machines and areas with tape or paint
to indicate hazards.
Prairie View Meat Processors
PHYSICAL HAZARDS
Noise concerns.
Provide hearing protection devices. Washington High School
Insulate walls. PHYSICAL HAZARDS
Boxes on high shelves.
Slippery floors. Store heavy items down low.
Install non-slip flooring. Train people in proper lifting.
Require custodians to clean in these areas at
regular intervals. Walk-in freezer.
Slippery floor surfaces. Provide a door handle on the inside.
Install non-slip flooring. Provide protective clothing.
Smokehouse/curing of meat. (Washington High School continued next page)

Provide proper breathing apparatus.
(Washington High School, continued) (Quick Stop, continued)

Electrical shock. CHEMICAL HAZARDS
Place guards on equipment. Chemicals - auto repair, car wash, cleaning
Place electrical warning signs on equipment. supplies.
Purchase nontoxic chemicals.
Hot boiler. Set up rules about labeling and storage of chemi-
Prevent contact by setting up barriers. cals.
Keep door to boiler room locked. Train staff in their proper use.
Clean up asbestos (asbestos abatement). Provide gloves, masks, and respirators appropriate
for the use of chemicals.
CHEMICAL HAZARDS
Chemicals and cleaning products. Batteries.
Set up storage and disposal procedures. Train staff in how to remove and dispose of batter-
Provide protective equipment. ies properly.
Train staff in proper use. Provide eye protection and gloves for employees
working with batteries.
BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS
Contact with blood. BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS
Provide training in infectious diseases. Food preparation and sink.
Provide protective equipment. Provide gloves.
Set up proper disposal procedures. Require staff to wear gloves and wash their hands.
Live animals. Cleaning restrooms.

Keep animals in cages so custodians do not come in Require staff to wear gloves and wash their hands.
contact with animals.
GENERAL HAZARDS
Cash register - robbery.
Install video equipment.
Require at least two employees to be in the store at
Quick Stop Convenience Store the same time.
PHYSICAL HAZARDS Have a cash box with no key in the store.
Noise from air compressors and other auto
repair equipment.
Wear hearing protection.
Car bays and hoists.

Train staff in their proper use.
Boxes on high shelves in storage areas.

Store heavier items on middle shelves.
Train staff in proper lifting techniques.
Walk-in freezer/refrigerator.
Install latch on freezer door that can be opened
from the inside.
Car wash.
Train staff in its proper use.
Tire changer.
Train staff in its proper use.
SO
LES N
Applying Prevention
5 Strategies in the
Workplace - Part II
Fact:
Based on the successes
Students present their work- 1. Each workplace has
place safety plans for simulated potential hazards (physi- of current programs,
work environments. Fellow cal, chemical, and biologi- workplace injury
classmates have the opportu- cal) that should be identi-
nity to evaluate the presenta- fied. prevention programs
tions, as if they were employers. that identify and
Content of the first five lessons 2. Prevention strategies can
control hazards can
in this unit also is reviewed. make a workplace safer by
reducing the possibility of significantly improve
injuries and illnesses.
Learner Outcomes: the safety of the work
Students will be able to do the 3. Employers must provide a environment.1
following: safe workplace for employ-
ees. Workers should
1. Summarize their preven- communicate any safety
tion plans in the form of concerns to their employ-
presentations. ers. Practicing communi-
cation strategies through
2. Evaluate the plans pre- role-playing allows stu-
sented by others. dents the opportunity to
learn how to effectively KEY TO SYMBOLS:
3. Effectively communicate advocate for safe working
the rationale for the preven- conditions.
tion strategies they se- OVERHEADS
lected.
4. Communicate safety infor-

mation effectively. HANDOUTS
5. Evaluate their current work

situations using the ABC’s
of prevention. SUPPLIES
NOTABLE
FACTS
TEACHER
TIPS
Work Safe, Work Smart 5.1 Lesson 5: Applying Prevention Strategies in the Workplace—Part II
Needed: 1. Photocopy the “Presentation Evaluation Form.” Review the qualities
❑ “Presentation Evalua- students will be looking for in these presentations.
tion Form” (one per
person) 2. Photocopy the “ABC’s of Prevention Cards” sheet, so you will have one
❑ “Worker Safety Action card per student. Laminate and cut out the “ABC’s of Prevention
Plan” (groups will Cards.”
present their plans in
class)
❑ “ABC’s of Prevention
Cards” sheet
❑
❑
Heavy cardstock paper
Lamination paper
Directions:
❑ Scissors
❑ “Performance Criteria Worker Safety Presentations (45 minutes)
and Checklist” found 1. Review again with students what should be covered in their class
in Lesson 1 (one for presentations. Group presentations should include the following:
each student)
• Description of the workplace they studied.
• Description of the major hazards found in their workplace.
• Description, by each group member, of one hazard and the preven-

tion strategies the group came up with for that hazard.
• Description of the two hazards they are going to take care of first
and why they chose those two hazards.
If needed, allow each safety team about five minutes to get ready for
their presentation.
2. Hand out a copy of the “Presentation Evaluation Form” to each stu-

“PRESENTATION EVALUATION dent. Explain:
FORM” SHEET As each team is presenting their safety plans, I want you
to evaluate their presentation and plans, as if you were
their employers. It is very important to employers to keep
their employees healthy.
When you are presenting to employers, it is critical that

you are able to list specific hazards, be clear and factual in
your presentation, and be willing to offer creative sugges-
tions to make the workplace safer for all employees. This
exercise will give you the opportunity to practice these
skills and also learn how it feels to be the employer faced
with employee safety concerns.
Lesson 5: Applying Prevention Strategies in the Workplace—Part II 5.2 Work Safe, Work Smart
You will evaluate each safety team in four areas:
(Have students read along on the bottom of their evaluation form.
Discuss each of these categories further, so students understand what
they are evaluating.)
• Decision-Making— Does the plan demonstrate a clear TEACHER TIP:

decision-making process with specific reasons for the After each pre-
sentation, lead a
prevention strategies chosen? discussion with
• Organization—Is the content of the plan and presenta- the whole class.
Example questions
tion organized? Does it have a clear flow? Does it make include:
sense?
1. What other
• Thoroughness—Did the presenters cover all the major hazards would you
hazards in this workplace? Did they identify an ad- add to this
equate number of prevention strategies? Did they ad- group’s list?
equately explain the reasons for prioritizing strategies?
2. What other
• Creativity—Did the plan suggest any original solutions prevention strate-
or creative prevention strategies? gies would you
add to this
group’s list?
Use the form to evaluate each of the above areas. Giving a
score of 5 means you think the team did an excellent job,
4 = good, 3 = fair, 2 = poor, 1 = not sufficient.
3. Ask:
Are there any questions about this exercise or how you will
evaluate your fellow classmates’ presentations?
4. Begin the presentations. Allow each group approximately five to seven

minutes to present their plan, depending upon the number of groups
and amount of time you have. Try to keep teams to this time frame, so
every group will have adequate time to present during the class period.
After each presentation is finished, allow time for the student evalua- TEACHER TIP:
tors to fill out their evaluation forms. If you think you will
be short on time,
5. After each presentation, you may want to ask further questions about draw team names
the group’s plan. Some possible questions include: and have only a
few teams
a. Which additional hazards would you have talked about, present their
if you hadn’t been limited to two? plans, or plan to
b. Do you think the process of creating a worker safety extend this activity
over two days.
action plan in this workplace would be different in real
life? How so?
c. Why do you think a plan like this would be helpful to
this company?
6. When all the presentations are done, collect student evaluation forms.
Have each group turn in their worker safety action presentation and
plan materials. All these materials will be used during final grading.
Worker Safety Unit — A Review (5 minutes)
1. Explain:
Let’s quickly review some of the key points we talked about
in this unit:
a. Workplace injuries and illnesses do happen to people,
even high school students.
b. Getting a workplace injury or illness could dramatically
change your life forever. Some injuries are serious and
some are permanent.
c. Each worker should expect a safe work environment. If
a workplace is not safe, you have the right to ask ques-
tions and take steps to make it so.
d. Workplace injuries and illnesses can be prevented, but
to accomplish this, some aspects of the workplace may
need to be changed. You should follow the ABC’s of
prevention when looking to make the workplace safer.
“ABC’S OF PRVENTION CARDS” 2. Give each person one of the “ABC’s of Prevention Cards.” Explain:
This card outlines the key safety steps you should take
every time you enter a workplace. I suggest you keep this
card with you to evaluate the safety of your current or
future workplace.
The card serves as a reminder to be alert to potential

hazards in the workplace and to the key prevention steps
you or your employer can take to make your job safer.
“PERFORMANCE CRITERIA AND 3. Before this session is over, have students check off tasks on their
CHECKLIST “Performance Criteria and Checklist.”
4. After this session, fill out the teacher side of the “Performance Criteria
and Checklist” (found in Lesson 1) for each student based on the
quality of their work in completing the tasks outlined on the form. The
tasks and criteria apply to student work during Lessons 1-5.
Taking It Home:
1. Encourage students to evaluate current work situations using the
“ABC’s of Prevention Cards.”
Footnote:
1 OSHA. 2012. “Injury and Illness Prevention Programs. White Paper.” US Dept. of Labor,
January 2012. www.osha.gov/dsg/InjuryIllnessPreventionProgramsWhitePaper.html
Presentation Evaluation Form ✔
Fill in the scores for each team presenting a safety action plan. Give a 5 if you think the team did an excel-
lent job of meeting the criteria, 4 = good, 3= fair, 2= poor, 1 = not sufficient. Total each team’s scores.
Names of students Safety Action Plan and Presentation

on each safety team
Decision- Organization Thoroughness Creativity Total
Making Score
Team #1
Team #2
Team #3
Team #4
Team #5
Team #6
Team #7
Team #8
Decision-Making—Does the plan demonstrate a clear decision-making process with specific reasons for
the hazards to be addressed and the prevention strategies chosen?
Organization—Is the content of the plan and presentation organized? Does it have a clear flow? Does it
make sense?
Thoroughness—Did the presenters cover all the major hazards in this workplace? Did they identify an
adequate number of prevention strategies? Did they adequately explain the reasons for prioritizing
strategies?
Creativity—Did the plan suggest any original solutions or creative prevention strategies?
ABC’S of Prevention Cards (fronts)
K K
K WOR T K WOR T
WOR S MAR WOR SMAR
S A F E S A F E
t r a t io n t r a t io n
m inis m inis
A d
B a r riers A d
B a r riers
g g
B uildin u n i c a t i o n B uildin u n i c a t i o n
Comm Comm
K K
K WOR T K WOR T
WOR S M A R WOR S M A R
SA F E SA F E
m inis m inis
A d
B a r riers A d
B a r riers
i l d ing i l d ing
B u
i c a t ion B u
i c a t ion
m mun m mun
C o C o
K K
K WOR T K WOR T
WOR S MAR WOR SMAR
S A F E S A F E
m inis m inis
A d
B a r riers A d
B a r riers
g g
Comm Comm
K K
K WOR T K WOR T
WOR S MAR WOR SMAR
SAF E SAFE
s t r a tio n s t r a tio n
i i
A d m i n Bar riers A d m i n Bar riers
g g
Comm Comm
ABC’S of Prevention Cards (backs)
• Have you received safety training for this job? • Have you received safety training for this job?
• Do you know who to talk to in the company, if • Do you know who to talk to in the company, if
you have safety or health questions? you have safety or health questions?
• What are the hazards at this job? • What are the hazards at this job?
–physical hazards? –chemical hazards? –physical hazards? –chemical hazards?
–biologic hazards? –biologic hazards?
• What prevention strategies are in place to • What prevention strategies are in place to
protect you from these hazards? protect you from these hazards?
MN Child Labor: www.dli.mn.gov/LS/Childlabor.asp MN Child Labor: www.dli.mn.gov/LS/Childlabor.asp
MN Dept. of Labor and Industry 1(800)342-5354 MN Dept. of Labor and Industry 1(800)342-5354
SO
LES N
The Importance of
6 Worker Safety Laws
Fact:
Description:
Students are introduced to the 3. Recognize the need for In 1900, over two million
importance of worker safety worker safety and child labor American children under
laws through a presentation of laws.
the age of 16 were employed
their history, a review of child
labor standards, and a discus- 4. Perceive that everyone has in factories, mines, farms,
sion of the rights of young the right to a safe workplace. and other workplaces.1 At
workers.
that time, children were
Key Concepts: three times as likely to be
Learner Outcomes: 1. Before the enactment of
injured as were adults.2
Students will be able to do the worker safety laws, working
following: conditions for many young Unfortunately, 115 million
people were dangerous and children worldwide were
1. Describe the state of safety unhealthy. In some places,
in the workplace before laws problems still exist. still engaged in hazardous
were enacted. work during 2004-2008.3
2. Child labor laws were made
2. Perceive that worker safety to protect young workers.
laws are important in
protecting the health of
young workers. KEY TO SYMBOLS:
OVERHEADS
HANDOUTS
SUPPLIES
NOTABLE
FACTS
TEACHER
TIPS
Work Safe, Work Smart 6.1 Lesson 6: The Importance of Worker Safety Laws
Needed: 1. Read through the “Looking at the Lives of Child Laborers” script a few
❑ “Performance Criteria times, so you can read it smoothly.
and Checklist” (one
per student) 2. Review the photographs and their descriptions. Think about your own
❑ Photographs 1 reactions to the images. How would you answer the questions outlined
through 6 (one set per in the lesson? Remember, no answers are right or wrong.
student group)
❑ “Looking at the Lives 3. Make copies (one per student) of the “Performance Criteria and Check-
of Child Laborers” list,” “Child Labor Photo Assignment,” and “Workplace Safety Laws”
script for teacher fact sheet.
review
❑ “Child Labor Photo 4. Make class copies of the “Examining Workplace Safety Laws” home-
Assignment” (one per work assignment.
student)
❑ Chalkboard or easel 5. The laws discussed in this lesson represent a summary of the child
❑ “Workplace Safety labor laws. If you want to review a more comprehensive list of child
Laws” fact sheet (one labor laws, please refer to the web sites listed in the back of the cur-
per student) riculum under “Worker Safety and Health Education Resources.”
❑ “Examining Work-
place Safety Laws”
homework assignment
(one per student)
Directions:
A Brief History of Child Labor (20 minutes)
1. Give each student a copy of the “Performance Criteria and Checklist.”
Say:
“PERFORMANCE CRITERIA AND Your participation in the next four class sessions will be
CHECKLIST” HANDOUT graded on the tasks outlined on this form.
Read through the form and answer any questions students may have
about the tasks or the quality of work you expect.
Students can keep track of their progress by placing an X in the left-

hand column as they complete each task. Take time at the end of each
class period to have students check off tasks they completed that day.
At the end of the unit, review each student’s work and place an X or
grade next to each task that he or she has completed.
2. Explain:
Previously, you learned about hazards in the workplace
and how workplace injuries and illnesses can be prevented.
During the next two class sessions, we will focus on the
role that worker safety laws play in protecting you in the
workplace.
3. Ask:
How many of you are currently working? How many think
you will have a job before you finish high school? How many
Lesson 6: The Importance of Worker Safety Laws 6.2 Work Safe, Work Smart
of you are aware of the laws that govern safety at work and
the work done by people under 18? Who can describe any of
these laws?
Take a few minutes to allow students to share what they know about
worker safety laws.
4. Explain:
You may or may not know about the laws that are in place
to keep you safe in the workplace. These laws address
many issues, including how long you can work, what kind TEACHER TIP:
of work you may do, and the minimum amount you must
You may want to
be paid. use only a few of
the photographs
Before we discuss these laws, I would like to talk about the and shorten the
working conditions of children in the United States before script, so you have
worker safety laws were in place. The child labor laws we more time for
discussion.
are going to talk about today were created because of
abusive child labor situations. During our country’s earlier
history, many children were exploited as a source of cheap
labor with little regard for their health and well-being.
We are also going to talk about the working conditions of

children in other parts of the world. Even today, many of
these children are not protected by any kind of worker
safety laws.
5. Have students form pairs. Give each pair of students copies of photo-
graphs 1 through 6. Read the “Looking at the Lives of Child Laborers” PHOTOGRAPHS 1-6
script. The script indicates when to stop your presentation to discuss
the corresponding pictures. “LOOKING AT THE LIVES OF CHILD
LABORERS” SCRIPT
Discuss the following questions as you look at each picture:
• How would you describe the child in this picture? What
do you notice about his or her face or expression?
• What might this person be thinking? What might he or
she be feeling?
• How would you feel, if you were in the same situation?
Creating Laws to Protect Workers

(30 minutes)
1. Ask:
If you could do something about the tremendous hardships
of these young workers, what would you do? Imagine for a
few minutes that you work in the government and are in
charge of creating laws to protect the health and safety of these
workers. You don’t own or work at the companies they work at.
You are in charge of making laws by which these companies
must abide.
2. Assign each pair of students one of the child labor photographs. More than
one pair of students may be working on each photograph.
Give the “Child Labor Photo Assignment” handout to each student.
“CHILD LABOR PHOTO Each pair should discuss possible laws they would create to protect the
ASSIGNMENT” young worker in the photograph and record their answers on the handout.
Encourage each pair to come up with at least 10 specific laws. Remind them
that no answers are right or wrong. Collect the handout at the
end of this activity.
3. Explain:
Discuss the situation and develop a list of reasonable laws you
think would improve these childrens’ lives. We will discuss
each situation and your lists of laws when you are done. You
will have ten minutes to develop your lists. Once you have
completed this assignment, we will discuss each photograph.
You will be turning in this assignment for a grade.
4. When done, discuss each photograph and the laws recommended for that
worker. Have all the pairs assigned that photograph contribute some of the
possible laws. If time allows, have the whole class add to each list, if they
can.
Possible Laws For The Scenarios:

• Establish a minimum age for children to work.
• Limit hours and number of days children are allowed to work in a week.
• Require children to go to school.
• Require the minimum wage be based on hours children work and not on
how much they do.
• Make the minimum wage the same for adults and children.
• Make it illegal for children to work around dangerous equipment or
chemicals.
• Require employers to give adequate breaks, places to sit, and proper
ventilation, heat, or shade.
• Make it illegal for children to work in dangerous occupations (e.g., on
fishing platforms or in tanning drums).
• Require employers to provide proper protective equipment (e.g., shoes,
gloves, hats).
• Limit the amount of weight children may carry.
• Make it mandatory for children to get vacation and sick time.
• Make it mandatory for children to get leave time for family emergen-
cies, funerals, etc.
• Allow children to get workers’ compensation if they are injured at work.
• Require frequent parental visits or leave to visit families.
• Make it illegal for parents to forge papers.
• Allow children to form a union.
• Require verification of children’s ages.
• Require unannounced inspections on a regular basis.
5. Explain:
Dangerous and unhealthy situations, such as those we
discussed today, motivated people to create laws to protect
young workers. Your right to work in a safe and healthy
workplace is a direct result of these laws.
We are going to spend the remainder of this unit looking

more closely at the laws that protect you in the workplace.
We will discuss what these laws are, how these laws work
for you, and who can help you, if you are in a work situa-
tion in which these laws are not being followed.
6. Ask:
Based on what you learned today, what would you say are
the benefits of worker safety laws? List students’ ideas on
the chalkboard or easel.
(Possible answers: These laws protect children from being exploited;

children are encouraged to be in school so they can live better lives;
children’s health is improved; children can really enjoy their child-
hoods; the laws protect workers from injuries or illnesses.)
7. Give each student a copy of the “Workplace Safety Laws” fact sheet.
Have students read through the fact sheet silently or read it together “WORKPLACE SAFETY LAWS”
as a class. Students should be prepared to discuss and apply these laws FACT SHEET
during the next two class sessions.
8. Have each pair of students hand in their list of laws at the end of class.

list” and check the Lesson 6 activities they participated in today.
Taking It Home:
“EXAMINING WORKPLACE SAFETY
Give each student a copy of the “Examining Workplace Safety Laws” LAWS” HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
homework assignment, or write the assignment on the chalkboard. Have
each student complete this assignment before the next class session.
Footnotes:
1 Saller, Carol. Working Children. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 1998.
2 Mofford, Judith H. Child Labor in America. Carlisle: Discovery Enterprises, Ltd., 1997.
3 ILO. 2010. “Accelerating Action Against Child Labour.” ILO, Geneva.
http://www.ilo.org/global/resources/WCMS_126752/lang--en/index.htm
Resources Consulted In Developing the Lesson Script and Scenarios:

Mofford, Judith, ed. Child Labor in America. Carlisle: Discovery Enterprises, Ltd., 1997.
Parker, David. Stolen Dreams: Portraits of Working Children. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 1998.
Saller, Carol. Working Children. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, Inc., 1998.

Performance Criteria and Checklist
Place a check mark in the appropriate box when the criteria is met. Corresponding lesson is listed in ( ).
Student Performance Criteria Teacher

Checklist Checklist
1. Recite the major laws that apply to students (hours, wages, types of
jobs). (7)
2. Accurately apply those laws to new work safety situations. (7 and 9)
3. Participate as much as you can in a small group, without dominating

the group. (6, 7, and 9)
4. During discussions, speak clearly and think through what you will say
before you say it. (6 through 9)
When applying the ten steps to resolve safety issues

in the workplace, you do the following:
5. Clearly identify the decision that needs to be made. (9)
6. Clearly identify and describe the choices you have in how you will
resolve the problem. (9)
7. Apply specific criteria to help you select the best choice. (9)
8. Deal with the conflict in ways that are respectful. (9)
9. Deal with the conflict in ways that are persuasive. (9)
Photograph 1:
They called them “newsies.” Boys
as young as four and five would
sell newspapers on the street
corners. Joe was often up late at
night and early in the morning,
peddling newspapers in all kinds
of weather. Sometimes he stayed
away from home for days at a time.
Barefoot and bedraggled, Joe had
to watch out for a variety of dan-
gers: getting run over by a street-
car or a horse; or being robbed.
Joe was not paid an hourly wage. He was paid by

the number of papers he sold. Because he had to pay
for the papers he didn’t sell, Joe had to work long
into the night. Joe had to carry heavy loads while
constantly walking up and down the streets. He
received no overtime, no breaks, no vacations, and
no raises. Joe was forced to turn all his wages over
to his father, who was often drunk.
Joe had no time for school or play. He sold newspa-

pers all day long. If he complained about his work
conditions, he would be replaced by another worker.
If Joe had a family emergency, he could not leave his
job or he would be replaced.
Photograph 2:
This photograph, taken in 1907, is a picture of a boy named
David, whose right arm was cut off by an unguarded saw in
a box factory. Factory children as young as six or seven
often worked 10- to 12-hour days. David dropped out of
school and began working when he was ten.
David was forced to work quickly around dangerous equip-

ment, with very few breaks or rests. Some children worked
through the night, sleeping on the floor between shifts.
David, like other children, was provided no
protective gear or equipment, and the facto-
ries had very little ventilation in summer
and little heat in the winter.
Children such as David worked for very low

wages with no hope of a better future. They
had no time for school, play, or vacations. If
David complained about the conditions or
was sick one day, he was immediately re-
placed by another worker.
The government never inspected these work-

places, and the factory owners had little
regard for their young workers. No one was
looking out for the welfare of these children.
Without going to school, David had little
chance to better his life. Children like David
usually ended up working in the same factory
for their entire lives.
Photograph 3:
Haji, an Indonesian boy of 12, works
on a fishing platform off the coast of
Indonesia. Wood platforms on stilts
stand anywhere from one-half mile to
several miles out to sea.
Boys are taken from their homes to

the platforms to help fish for krill.
They must stay there for up to six
months, away from their families and
friends. Each day, they live only on
rice and fish. Fresh fruit and vegetables are a rare treat.
Fresh water is scarce. Three to six children sleep on the floor
of a shelter that may be no larger than six feet by ten feet.
Haji has no protection from falling into the ocean, and often
children like Haji do not know how to swim. The platforms
have many holes, and it is easy for children to slip through the
floor. Even if the children know how to swim, waves and the
force of the current make it difficult for them to get to safety.
If a child is killed or injured, he is merely replaced by another
worker.
He receives no sick time, vacation, or medical care. He does

not attend school. He has no way to better his life. Fishing for
krill is all he will know.
Photograph 4:
Amine, a 5-year-old weaver from Nepal, works 10 to 12 hours per day. Her small little
hands, like those of many carpet weavers, are bruised, and she suffers from severe skin
problems due to the rough course wool. When children knot the carpets, they often cut
their hands, and the cuts never have a chance to heal. Amine often has open cuts on her
hands, which become sore as she works.
Each knot must be pulled tightly, and the process is repeated up to 100 times or more per
square inch in a fine carpet. Amine is pressured to work quickly for long periods of time.
Wages are only 30 cents per day.
Amine lives at the factory, sleeping on the floor. She has not seen her family in over a year.
She gets outside once a day for only a few minutes; otherwise, she is working at her loom.
She is given very little food. No bathroom facilities are in the factory. If Amine, or any
other weaver, gets sick or injured, she is replaced by another worker and is thrown out
into the street with no place to go and no medical help. If Amine complains about her
situation, she will be replaced as well, which would make her family very angry with her.
Amine will never have the opportunity to go to school. She does not know how to read or
write and has not learned any other skills. Amine will be weaving carpets for the rest of
her life, if her hands can tolerate the work.
Photograph 5:
In Nepal, as in much of the world, bricks are made by hand. After being fired in huge
kilns, the bricks are carried to large stacks by children such as Krishna. Even a small
brick factory may produce as many as 500,000 bricks a year. Each brick weighs 2 to 4
pounds. Each day, a small child may haul over 1,000 bricks (2,000 pounds) on his or her
head or back.
The work is dusty and dangerous. As bricks are removed from the kiln, they may fall
several feet onto a worker’s unprotected feet. Because of the large amount of dust, the
children often get lung diseases that lead to early death. No one inspects the working
conditions of these factories. No medical care is available, if the children get injured. If a
child, such as Krishna, becomes sick or permanently disabled, he or she is sent away, and
a new child worker is brought in to work.
Children as young as five years old are required to work in these factories by their par-
ents. They are given few breaks and very little food during the day. Children work through
extreme weather conditions. Children live at the factory and sleep on dirty, dusty floors.
They have no time for school or play. They work seven days a week, 10 to 12 hours per day,
for no wages other than food and minimum shelter.
Photograph 6:
Mohamed, from Bangladesh,
works in a tannery making
leather from animal hides.
Some of the children in this
factory actually work inside the
tanning drums, standing bare-
foot in hazardous chemicals,
such as chromic acid and form-
aldehyde. The chemicals burn
their skin and their lungs when
they breathe in the fumes, but
they are required to keep work-
ing.
Some of the children, like Mohamed, must cart animal waste

from the tanning process to a waste dump down the road. No
sanitation is provided. Workers are given no protection for their
hands, and animal parts such as intestines touch their skin.
Diseases from the decaying animal waste may infect the chil-
dren, causing them to become sick.
Mohamed, along with the other children, works very long hours,
seven days a week. He gets no breaks, vacation, or sick time.
The wages he earns are very low. If a child gets sick from work-
ing at this factory, he or she is simply replaced by someone else.
No medical help is available.
Looking at the Lives of
Child Laborers
A Script to Assist You
Young people are much the same in every country and time period. They
have feelings, hopes, and dreams. They want a life that is happy and filled
with good things. Unfortunately, the lives of some young people have not
always been easy, because they worked in places or lived during times in
which worker safety laws did not protect them. Young workers were, and still
are, at the mercy of adults to protect them from being abused and exploited.
Child Labor In The United States

In our country’s early history, it was not uncommon for children to work long
hours in hard or dangerous situations. From the time the first colonists
1700s arrived in what was to become the United States, children were working.
Many served as apprentices to older workers. They worked for those people
for several years for no pay, sometimes living away from their families. In
some instances, they learned a trade, such as blacksmithing or carpentry. In
others, they learned nothing and were just a source of free labor.
After the Civil War, the nation became more industrialized, with large
factories turning out textiles, pottery, and other products. Factories were in
desperate need of workers, so they hired children as well as adults. Children
were not required to go to school, and no labor laws were in place. Children
as young as five and six worked 12 hours a day, six days a week.
Children worked in very dangerous situations, around large machines, sharp

knives, and coal cars. Since employers were not required to provide safety
equipment, many children were permanently disabled or killed. Injured or
sick employees were simply replaced. No compensation was given, if they
1800s were injured and could no longer do their jobs.
Life for child laborers was very difficult. They had no childhood. They had
no future. Because they did not go to school, all they would know for the rest
of their lives was hard work.
Have students look at photographs 1 and 2. These are photographs

of child laborers earlier in our country’s history. Discuss the photo-
graphs using the questions suggested in the lesson.
Gradually, child labor in the United States became regulated. In 1938, most
of the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed, protecting the health and well-
being of young workers. This act set standards for child labor and estab-
lished the laws that govern child labor today. The act regulated how many
hours a child could work, how old a child had to be to work, and what jobs
were too dangerous for children.
Thanks to these laws, if you are under 18 and working today, your workplace
is relatively safe, and your health and welfare are protected. Health and
safety laws have greatly improved the working conditions of young people in
the United States. However, this is not true for migrant workers, who still
spend long hours in fields picking vegetables and being exposed to dangerous
chemicals.
Child Labor In Other Countries

Unfortunately, workplace health and safety laws do not exist and are not
enforced today for 250,000,000 children around the world. In many coun-
tries, children still work in very dangerous and unhealthy situations. They
are often forced to work at a very young age, sometimes being removed
completely from their families.
In some instances, no laws regulate how much or how long a child may
work. No laws prohibit children from working around dangerous machin-
ery without protective equipment. No laws require that children receive a
fair wage. In some instances, adults doing the same job will earn more
money. No sick time, vacation time, or medical insurance is provided. In
other instances, laws exist but are not enforced.
Like children in the early history of the United States, these children have no
childhood and no future. They are destined to spend their whole lives work-
ing for very low wages. They have no time to attend school, so the children
end up working in the same job for the rest of their lives. Worker safety laws
are not in place to protect them. These same conditions still exist for some
American migrant families as well.
Look at photographs 3 through 6. Complete the student learning

activity provided in the lesson. Discuss as many of the photographs
as time allows.
Name: ____________________________________ Class Period: _____________
Child Labor Photo Assignment
1. Describe the photo situation you are writing about.
2. What laws would you create to protect the young worker pictured in this photo? Be specific.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Are there any other laws you would add?
Workplace Safety Laws
Protect Your Health. Know Your Rights.
By law, your employer must provide the following:
• A safe and healthy workplace.
• Training about health and safety, including information on chemicals that could be harmful to your health.
• Protective clothing and equipment.
• Payment for medical care, if you get hurt or sick because of your job. You may also be entitled to lost wages.
• At least the minimum wage, which is generally $7.25 per hour.
You have a right to do the following:

• Report safety problems.
• Work without racial or sexual harassment.
• Refuse to work, if the job is immediately dangerous to your life or health.
• Join or organize a union.
• Get paid overtime, if you work more than 40 or 48 hours per week, depending on the size of the company.
Check with your supervisor.
What are my safety responsibilities on the job?

• Follow all safety rules and procedures.
• Use safety equipment and protective clothing when needed.
• Look out for coworkers.
• Keep work areas clean and neat.
• Know what to do in an emergency.
• Report any health or safety hazards to your supervisor.
Should I be working this late or this long?

Child labor laws protect teens from working too long, too late, or too early. This table shows the hours teens
may work. Exceptions exist for students in work experience programs.
Work Hours For Teens
Under 14 Ages 14 and 15 Ages 16 and 17
A person under 14 years of Between Labor Day and June 1st: • Not before 5 a.m. on school
age cannot be employed, • Not before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m. days or after 11 p.m. on
except as follows: • Not over 3 hours/day on a school day, and school nights (no restrictions
• newspaper carrier. not over 18 hours/week on weekends or holidays).
• agriculture worker.* • Not during school hours. These times can be changed
• actor, actress, or model. • No more than 8 hours on a non-school day. to 4:30 a.m. and 11:30 p.m.
From June 1st to Labor Day: with parental consent.
• 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Not over 8 hours in any 24-hour period.
• Not more than 40 hours per week.
* Children must be at least 14 to work outside school hours in any agricultural job. Twelve- and 13-year-olds
may work, if parental consent is given and if they are working on the same farm as their parent. No age
restrictions exist for children who work on their family’s farm.
Required Breaks:
Employers should give bathroom breaks for every four hours worked and meal breaks for every eight hours
worked.
Workplace Safety Laws (continued)
No worker under 18 may do the following:

Laws protect teens from doing dangerous work. For example, in Minnesota, no worker under age 18 may do
the following:
• Work over 12 feet above the ground. • Work with meat slicers or bakery machines.
• Work near or with explosives. • Drive as a regular part of their duties.
• Work in the logging industry or in a sawmill. • Load or unload power-driven paper balers/
• Drive a forklift. compactors.
• Use power equipment, such as a saw or punch press.
• Work on a construction site.
These are just a few examples. There are other dangerous jobs teens are not allowed to do.
No worker under 16 may do the following:

• Work with any type of power-driven machinery.
• Work in a laundry or dry cleaner.
• Work with power snowblowers or lawn mowers.
• Work on a ladder or scaffolding.
• Cook or bake.
• Lift or carry patients in hospitals or nursing homes.
• Work in walk-in meat freezers or coolers.
No one under 16 is allowed to do the following agricultural work, except on family farms:
• Drive a tractor with greater than 20 horsepower.
• Operate large farm machinery, such as corn pickers, grain combines, hay mowers, or auger conveyors.
• Work with bulls, boars, stud horses, sows with suckling pigs, or cows with calves.
• Ride on a tractor as a passenger or helper.
• Work inside a storage bin, silo, or manure pit.
• Apply agricultural chemicals.
• Transport or apply anhydrous ammonia.
What if I need help?

• Talk to your supervisor about the problem.
• Talk to your parents or teachers.
• If necessary, contact the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry:
— Email: dli.laborstandards@state.mn.us
— Phone: 1-(800) 342-5354.
• Call your safety representative or labor union.
You have a RIGHT to speak up! It is illegal for your employer to fire or punish you
for reporting a workplace problem. Workers also have the right to form unions.
For more information on child labor laws:

U.S. Dept. of Labor - Youth Rules! - www.youthrules.dol.gov/
Minnesota Dept. of Labor and Industry - www.dli.mn.gov/ls/childlabor.asp
Examining Workplace Safety Laws

Homework Assignment
Think about the photographs you saw in class today. Think about your own work or
the work you want to do in the future. After reviewing the handout titled “Work-
place Safety Laws,” do the following:
1. Choose three labor laws from the handout.
2. Think about why you agree or disagree with the laws you choose and describe your reasons in the space
below. No answers are right or wrong.
3. Include any suggestions you may have for rewriting these laws or changing them in any way.
4. Your assignment should be at least three paragraphs long, one paragraph for each law you choose.
We will discuss the homework assignment during the next class session.
Fact:
Description:
Students review current worker 4. Perceive that employers Passage of the Fair Labor
safety laws by playing a game have a right to expect Standards Act of 1938
and discussing present-day employees to behave in a
placed, for the first time
scenarios. safe manner.
in U.S. history, federal
5. Stop any work practices that limitations on the types of
Learner Outcomes: are illegal for them to
Students will be able to do the perform. nonagricultural work
following: permitted for children
1. Describe current worker Key Concepts: and adolescents under

safety laws. 1. Worker safety laws exist and the age of 18.
every employer should follow
2. Apply these laws to specific them.
work situations.
2. Worker safety laws are made
3. Perceive that workers have to protect workers from
the right to expect a safe injury and permanent KEY TO SYMBOLS:
work environment. disability, not to limit their
opportunities for employ-
ment. OVERHEADS
HANDOUTS
SUPPLIES
NOTABLE
FACTS
TEACHER
TIPS
Work Safe, Work Smart 7. 1 Lesson 7: Worker Safety Laws and You
Needed: 1. Photocopy the “Looking at the Laws” cards onto heavy cardstock paper
❑ “Looking at the Laws” (two-sided). Cut each sheet of paper in the middle to separate the
cards cards. Tape the “Looking at the Laws” cards to the chalkboard or wall
❑ Heavy cardstock paper with the questions facing the chalkboard or wall.
❑ Scissors
❑ Masking tape 2. Make copies of the “Workplace Safety Situations” (one two-sided sheet
❑ Coin per student).
❑ “Workplace Safety
Situations” sheet, one 3. Make copies of the “Additional Worker Safety Resources” fact sheet
per student (one per student).
❑ “Additional Worker
Safety Resources”
fact sheet (one per
student)
Directions:
“Looking at the Laws” Game Show
(25-35 minutes)
1. Divide the class into two teams. Make sure students put their “Worker
Safety Laws” fact sheets away during this game. Pick a player from
each team to start the game. Have these two players flip a coin to see
which team will start first.
“LOOKING AT THE LAWS” 2. Have the first player call out the number of one of the cards on the
GAME SHOW CARDS chalkboard. Say:
I will read the question on this card. You will have ten
seconds in which to answer the question. If you cannot
answer the question correctly, the other team will be given
ten seconds in which to answer the question. The team
that answers the question correctly will get one point. The
team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
3. At the end of the game, say:

This game has helped us review some of the main child
labor laws. Let’s try to apply these laws to actual work
situations.
Worker Safety Situations (15 minutes)

“WORKPLACE SAFETY 1. Give each student one of the “Worker Safety Situations” sheets.
SITUATIONS” SHEETS Explain:
Read through each situation and decide which worker
safety laws apply to that situation. Write the laws in the
space provided below each situation.
Lesson 7: Worker Safety Laws and You 7. 2 Work Safe, Work Smart
2. After about five minutes, have the whole class come back together.
Read through each situation and discuss it. Ask:
Which laws are being broken in this situation? Of which
laws should the worker be aware?
Answers To Situations:
# 1: No one under 18 years of age is allowed to work over 12 feet above
the ground.
# 2: A 15-year-old must not work more than 18 hours per week during
the school year.
# 3: No one under 18 years of age is allowed to work on a construction
site.
# 4: A 15-year-old must not work after 7 p.m. on a school night.
# 5: No one under 18 years of age is allowed to operate a meat slicer.
# 6: No one under 18 years of age is allowed to drive a forklift.
# 7: A 15-year-old must not work more than 40 hours per week during
It’s the
the summer.
# 8: No one under 16 years of age is allowed to lift or carry people in a responsibility
nursing facility.
of employers
3. Ask:
How many of you have had your employer go over child to ensure
labor laws with you?
4. Explain: they are not

It is your employers’ responsibility to ensure they are not
breaking any laws by what they ask you to do. As workers, breaking
however, it is important that you also know the laws.
any worker
5. Spend a few minutes talking about the rationale behind these laws.
Many of these laws were put in place to specifically address issues that
were causing unsafe work conditions for teens in the past. During
safety laws.
Lesson 6, you talked about a number of these conditions, including
long hours, few breaks, and dangerous jobs.
Many of the jobs that teens are prohibited from doing are considered to
be dangerous or risky. The laws are meant to protect teens from
working in these dangerous or risky situations. Many of the industries
that employ large numbers of children and adolescents (such as agri-
culture) have higher-than-average injury rates for workers of all ages.
Taking It Home:
No homework for this lesson.
Workplace Safety Situations
Situation # 1:
Ryan is 17 years old. His friend has just offered him a summer job painting houses. Ryan
is really excited about the chance to work. The first day at work, Ryan is asked to climb a
20-foot ladder to paint the eaves on a large house. Ryan agrees to do it, even though he is
afraid of heights.
Situation # 2:
Fifteen-year-old Angela has been working at the local fast food restaurant for the past six
months. She really likes her job. Lately, several workers have quit to go on to college. Due
to the shortage of employees, Angela’s supervisor has asked her to work every night this
week and until closing on Friday. If she does, she will have worked 30 hours during a
school week.
Situation # 3:
Fourteen-year-old Mario has been hired to work at a construction site. He will be sweeping
and picking up supplies for other workers. The foreman said he cannot drive any heavy
equipment.
Situation # 4:
Heather, who is 15, is cashiering at an all-night drugstore. Her manager is short-staffed
and asks Heather to work from 6 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. It is a Tuesday night during the
school year.
Workplace Safety Situations (continued)
Situation # 5:
Josh, who is 16, just started his new job with the local grocery store. They have asked him
to work in different departments. They start him in the deli department slicing luncheon
meats. His supervisor trains him to use the equipment and watches him several times to
make sure he is doing it right.
Situation # 6:
Stacy, a 17-year-old, is still in high school. She landed a great weekend job working at a
large warehouse in town. Most of her job involves inventorying and filling orders. Occa-
sionally, she is asked to drive the forklift to move supplies. She really likes that part of her
job.
Situation # 7:
Julie, who just turned 15, got a summer job at the local convenience store. She is working
many hours to save up money for college. She is scheduled to work both Saturday and
Sunday, so she will have worked almost 65 hours this week.
Situation # 8:
Trevor, who is 15, is working part-time at the nursing home in town. He is often asked to
help move patients from their beds to their wheelchairs.
‘Looking
‘Looking
at theat
Laws’
the Laws’
GameGame
Show Show
(continued)
CARD NO.
2
CARD NO.
‘Looking at the Laws’ Game Show (continued)
Question # 2: Question # 1:
How many hours a day How late can 16- and
Work Safe, Work Smart

can 14- and 15-year- 17-year-olds work on
olds work on a school school nights?
day?
7. 8
Answer: 11 p.m. (or 11:30
Lesson 7: Worker Safety Laws and You

Answer: 3 hours p.m. with parental consent)
CARD NO.
4
CARD NO.
How late can 14- and How many hours a day

15-year-olds work dur- can 14- and 15-year-
ing the school year? olds work on non-school
days?
7. 10
Answer: 7 p.m.

Answer: 8 hours
CARD NO.
6
CARD NO.
How many hours a How early in the day

week can 14- and 15- can 14- and 15-year-
year-olds work during olds start working?
the school year?
7. 12
Answer: 7 a.m.

Answer: 18 hours
CARD NO.
8
CARD NO.
How old must a worker How old must a worker

be to operate a meat be to operate a tractor
slicer or bakery ma- with greater than 20
chine? horsepower?
7. 14
Answer: 18 Answer: 16
CARD NO.
10
CARD NO.

A person under 14 What is the minimum

years old may not wage that workers must
work at which of these receive?
jobs—fast food restau-
7. 16
rant, newspaper car- Answer: Generally

rier, or actor/actress? $ 7.25 per hour
Answer: Fast food res-
taurant
CARD NO.
12
CARD NO.
11

How old must you be A 17-year-old may not

before you can apply work on a ladder
agricultural chemi- higher than _______
cals? feet?
7. 18
Answer: 16 Answer: 12 feet
CARD NO.
14
CARD NO.
13

You must be 18 to do 15-year-olds may work

which of these jobs— at which of these jobs—
logger, meat slicer, or cashier, dishwasher, or
nursing assistant? dry cleaner?
7. 20
Answer: Logger and Answer: Cashier and
meat slicer dishwasher
CARD NO.
16
CARD NO.
15

How old must you be After how many hours

to operate power per week must an em-
equipment, such as a ployer pay a worker
saw or punch press? overtime pay?
7. 22
Answer: 18 Answer: 40 or 48, de-
pending on the size of
the company
CARD NO.
18
CARD NO.
17

How old must you be 14- and 15-year-olds

to work in walk-in can work how many
freezers or coolers? hours per week during
the summer?
7. 24
Answer: 16

Answer: 40 hours
CARD NO.
20
CARD NO.
19

How old must a worker How many hours a

be to drive a forklift? week can 16- and 17-
year-olds work?
Answer: 18
7. 26
Answer: No restrictions

CARD NO.
22
CARD NO.
21

Name one government How old must workers

agency you can call for be to ride as passen-
help with worker gers on a tractor, if
safety issues. they are not on their
7. 28
family farm?

Answer: MN Occupa-
tional Safety and Answer: 16
Health Administration
or MN Department of
Labor and Industry
CARD NO.
24
CARD NO.
23

How early may 16- and How old do you have to

17-year-olds work on a be to work on your
school day? family's farm?
7. 30
Answer: 5 a.m. (or 4:30 Answer: No lower age

a.m. with parental con- limit
sent)
CARD NO.
26
CARD NO.
25

How old must you be By law, how often

to work at a job at should you be allowed a
which you lift or carry bathroom break on a
patients in a hospital job?
7. 32
or nursing home?

Answer: Every four
Answer: 16 hours
CARD NO.
28
CARD NO.
27

How old must you be What can an employer

to work at a job that do to you if you refuse
involves using explo- to work in a job that is
sives? immediately dangerous
7. 34
to your life or health?

Answer: 18
Answer: Nothing
CARD NO.
30
CARD NO.
29

What hours can 16- How old must workers

and 17-year-olds work be to work outside
on weekends and holi- school hours in any ag-
days? ricultural job (if not on
7. 36
their family farm or

Answer: working with a parent)?
No restrictions
Answer: 14
SO
LES N
Addressing Unsafe
8 Workplace Conditions
Fact:
Students discuss the benefits 1. Worker safety laws are Most injuries are
and drawbacks of worker safety meant to protect workers, preventable and, with
laws and learn the basic steps not to limit their opportuni-
the right prevention
for addressing workplace safety ties for employment.
issues. steps, can be avoided.
2. Employees can take basic
steps to address unsafe work
Learner Outcomes: conditions.
Students will be able to do the
following: 3. Every worker has the right
and responsibility to address
1. Describe the benefits and safety concerns in the
drawbacks of worker safety workplace.
laws.
2. Perceive that worker safety

laws are important, even
though they may be restric- KEY TO SYMBOLS:
tive.
3. Give examples of helpful OVERHEADS

steps in resolving workplace
safety issues.
4. Apply these steps to a

worker safety issue. HANDOUTS
SUPPLIES
NOTABLE
FACTS
TEACHER
TIPS
Work Safe, Work Smart 8.1 Lesson 8: Addressing Unsafe Workplace Conditions
Needed: 1. Review the “Teacher’s Key: The Benefits and Drawbacks of Worker
❑ Overheads 8.1 and 8.2 Safety Laws” provided in this lesson. Make sure you are familiar with
❑ Optional: Photographs both the possible benefits and the drawbacks of each law, so you can
used in Lesson 6 effectively lead the discussion.
❑ “Teacher’s Key: The
Benefits and Draw- 2. Think through how you will apply each of the S.A.F.E. concepts to the
backs of Worker role-play suggested in the lesson. Prepare how you would discuss the
Safety Laws” issue with an employer.
❑ “Keep Your Workplace
S.A.F.E.” handout (one 3. Review the “S.A.F.E. Communication Skills Worksheet” and accompa-
per student) nying teacher’s key. Practice transforming the negative statements into
❑ “Teacher’s Key: positive ones, so you can assist your students, if they have difficulty.
S.A.F.E. Communica-
tion Skills Worksheet” 4. Set up the overhead projector and overheads.
5. Photocopy the “S.A.F.E. Communication Skills Worksheet.”
Directions:
The Benefits and Drawbacks of Worker
Safety Laws (30 minutes)
The purpose of the following discussion is to help students understand
that, even though they may not agree with a law, it may have an impor-
tant purpose—to protect them.
As a society, we have decided people under 18 should be protected from

working in hazardous jobs or under difficult conditions (e.g., long hours).
Many laws have been put in place for these reasons.
As you discuss these laws, refer to your earlier discussions of working

conditions before worker safety laws were in place. You may want to show
the photographs from Lesson 6 as a reminder to students. How have the
working conditions for people under 18 improved with these laws? Use the
list of laws and suggested benefits and drawbacks provided in this lesson
as a guide for this discussion.
In this exercise, it is important to allow students to form their

own opinions, rather than telling them what to think or believe. It
is not your role to defend these laws but to facilitate an open
discussion.
Lesson 8: Addressing Unsafe Workplace Conditions 8.2 Work Safe, Work Smart
1. Explain:
During our last class, we discussed worker safety laws.
I would like to talk about the benefits and drawbacks of
these laws. Laws are usually made to benefit society, but at
the same time, they usually put limitations on some or all
of society. In our next group activity, we will examine the
benefits and drawbacks of some of these worker safety
laws.
Divide the class into groups of four. Assign one law to two groups. One
group will focus on the benefits of the law. The other group will focus
on the drawbacks of the law.
Choose laws that deal with work time, minimum wage, dangerous
equipment, or break time. Information about these laws is provided in
the “Teacher’s Key: The Benefits and Drawbacks of Workers Safety
Laws” or the “Workplace Safety Laws” handout from Lesson 6.
2. Explain:
We’re going to debate the benefits and drawbacks of sev-
eral laws. One group of four will present the benefits of a
particular law to the class, while another group of four will
present the drawbacks of the same law. After hearing the
presentations, you’ll vote on whether you think the benefits
of this law outweigh the drawbacks.
You’ll have five minutes to develop your lists, and then

each group will present their viewpoint to the class. After
each group has presented their side, you’ll have a chance to
further discuss the law and vote.
Record the votes. If an odd number of foursomes results, have more

than one group of four present the benefits or drawbacks of a particu-
lar law. Encourage students to think through what they see as the
benefits and drawbacks of the law. No answers are right or wrong.
3. Show Overhead 8.1. Write one of the assigned laws in the left column.
Ask the two groups assigned that law to present their opposing view-
points. Write in the “benefits” and “drawbacks” of each law as they are
mentioned.
OVERHEAD 8.1
4. After the “benefit” and “drawback” groups have finished presenting
their sides for a particular law, ask the whole group the following
questions:
a. What other benefits would you add to the list?
b. What other drawbacks would you add to the list?
c. Why do you think this law was enacted?

(Refer to the working conditions talked about in Lesson 6.)
d. Do you think the benefits of this law outweigh the
drawbacks?
e. Why? Why not? How would working conditions be

different without this law?
TEACHER TIP: 5. Discuss the rest of the assigned laws. Use the teacher’s key as a guide.
These are open- Continue to focus your discussion on weighing the benefits and draw-
ended questions. backs of each example.
You do not need
to reach a group Students may not agree with all of the laws. You do not need to con-
consensus or vince them otherwise. The goal is to help students see that laws,
have all students despite their drawbacks, are in place for good reasons. We cannot reap
agree that these the benefits of a healthy, safe workplace without giving up something.
laws are good. No matter what the drawbacks are, today’s working conditions are
much better than they were 100 years ago, because of the laws.
6. Explain:
Safety laws do benefit us in the workplace. They protect us
from being asked to do things that are unsafe. If you feel
you are being asked to do something unsafe in the work-
place, you can address the issue with your employer. Let’s
talk about how you might address a safety issue with your
employer.
Unsafe Workplace Communication Skills

(20 minutes)
1. Ask:
Have you, or has anyone you know, ever been in a work
situation in which you felt you were being asked to do
something unsafe? In what situation were you? What did
you do about it?
2. Have a few students share their stories. Some students may have gone
along, others may have tried to address the issue.
3. Ask:
How did you feel in that situation?
4. Explain:
These situations can be very difficult to handle. It’s hard to
question an employer about what you are asked to do or
about the safety of the work environment. You may be
afraid of losing your job or appearing uncooperative. The
situation may involve your parents, who have always done
something the same, perhaps unsafe, way.
At some time in your working career, you may be asked by

your employer or another employee to do something that
appears unsafe to you. What should you do in these situa-
tions?
One of the most important things you can do is work to

keep your workplace safe. Let’s use the acronym S.A.F.E.
to help us remember how to address safety issues in the
workplace.
5. Display Overhead 8.2 on the overhead projector. Using the information

below, discuss each concept represented by the letters S.A.F.E.
S: SEE the safety issue. OVERHEAD 8.2
The first step is to clearly identify what the safety issue is.
Why do you feel uncomfortable? What is unsafe about this
situation?
Sometimes we feel uncomfortable about something, but do

not really acknowledge it until it is too late. It is good to
stop and ask yourself why you feel unsafe or uncomfort-
able. Try to state your concerns in concrete language.
Whether or not a safety law is being broken, if you feel

unsafe or uncomfortable, you should address the issue.
A: ASK the right person or person(s) for help.
Who is responsible for safety in your workplace? Who

should be made aware of the situation? The workplace
safety situation cannot be corrected, if no one knows the
unsafe situation exists.
It may help to tell coworkers, parents, people at school, or

union representatives about the problem. They can support
you in your efforts to find a solution. It may also be helpful
to have someone go with you when you approach your
employer.
If your immediate supervisor is unwilling to make a
change, talk to his or her supervisor. If you still do not get
an adequate response, talk with the organization’s person-
nel or human resource manager. If you do not get an ad-
equate response within the organization, contact the Min-
nesota Department of Labor and Industry. You can request
that your name not be revealed to your employer.
Minnesota OSHA (for any health and safety issues): 1-(877)

470-6742.
General number for other questions: 1-(800) 342-5354.
F: FIND a solution.
You may not always know what the best solution is, but, if
you have ideas, it always helps to present them to someone
who can solve the problem. Even if you don’t have a solu-
tion, address the issue. Your employer can find the solu-
tion. When you present your ideas, be open to listening to
others.
E: EMPHASIZE the positive.
Whenever you address a workplace issue, do it in a positive

manner, so your supervisor or employer does not get defen-
sive. The following are a few guidelines to help you in your
communication:
a. When presenting a safety problem to an employer or

coworker, focus on what you see and what you are
concerned about. For example,
“I am working around an unshielded power take-

off. I am uncomfortable in this situation.”
Rather than...
“You are making me work too close to the power
takeoff. You do not seem very concerned. You
should be doing something about it.”
b. Focus the conversation on a solution, rather than on

who is at fault.
Focusing on fault may only lead to a defensive response.
Focusing on solutions will more likely lead to coopera-
tion and agreement. For example,
“I think we should put signs up on the floor after

we have mopped it, so no one will slip and fall
again.”
Rather than...
“It is your fault Joe got hurt when he fell. You
mopped the floor and did not tell anyone about it.
You really messed up.”
c. Help the employer or employee see that by implementing

a solution, you will be reaching the same positive goal.
For example,
“If we put a guard on that piece of equipment, we

can get the work done in almost the same amount
of time but much more safely. In the long run, the
company will save time and money by keeping
workers safe.”
Thank those who have implemented the changes. It may

have taken extra time and money to make the safety
changes.
6. Say:
Let’s work on these positive approaches a little more. I am
going to give you a statement. Please tell me whether it is
done in the positive manner described above. If not, how
could it be improved?
7. Read the following statements. Have students respond after each

statement:
a. I would be happy to help, but I have already worked 18

hours this week and I can’t legally work any more hours.
(Positive)
b. You told me to use the meat slicer. Do you want to make

me cut my finger off?
(Negative—how could you change this statement into a positive?)
One example of a positive response:

I’m not comfortable using this meat slicer until I have
some training. Can you give me more training?
or
I’m only 17. Legally, I’m not supposed to use meat
slicers.
c. Thanks for ordering more rubber gloves. It really helps

when we use cleaning products. (Positive)
8. Explain:
Now we’re going to work through some more examples.
Pass out the “S.A.F.E. Communication Skills” handout. Have students

work individually to complete the handout. Refer to the teacher’s key
for suggestions regarding each statement on the handout. Once stu-
dents have completed the worksheet, ask them to share their sentences
with the rest of the class. You can record their answers on a chalkboard
or easel.
You may have to assist some students in turning the negative state-
ments into positive ones. Talking through the examples and hearing
“S.A.F.E. COMMUNICATION other people’s responses may also help those who are having difficulty.
SKILLS” HANDOUT
9. Ask:
Do you have any questions about using the S.A.F.E. guide-
lines when addressing work safety issues? Hopefully, you
can remember the word S.A.F.E., whenever you are trying
to address a safety issue at work.
10. Say:
Let’s apply S.A.F.E. to a workplace situation.
Use the following workplace scenario to walk the class through the
acronym S.A.F.E., as you think about how to address the situation.
Make a brief presentation of what you would actually say to the
employer.
Scenario:
You work at a local golf course mowing the fairways. Your
supervisor is hardly ever around. You received no training
and no hearing protection equipment. You notice the trac-
tor you are using has nothing to protect you from getting
hit by golf balls. It also has no seatbelt or rollbar, and some
of the hills are steep.
11. Discuss how you handled the scenario. Ask students if they have any
questions.
12. Ask:
How would you use the S.A.F.E. approach, if you saw a
family member doing something unsafe on your family
farm?
list” and check the Lesson 8 activities they participated in today.
Taking It Home:
No homework assignment.
Overhead 8.1
Worker
Safety Laws Benefits Drawbacks
Overhead 8.2
Keep Your
Workplace S.A.F.E. . .
SEE the safety issue.

ASK the right person for help.
FIND a solution.
EMPHASIZE the positive.

Teacher’s Key: The Benefits and Drawbacks
of Worker Safety Laws
Worker Safety Laws Benefits Drawbacks
Limiting how much • Protects teens from being over- • Limits amount of money
teens may work. worked. earned.
• Prevents work from interfering • Limits ability to compete
with school. with older workers who can
• Keeps teens from becoming work more.
overly tired. • Limits teens’ independence
• Prevents teens from being taken and control of their sched-
advantage of by employers or ules.
parents. • Limits those who are bored
• Allows teens more time for and want to work more.
extracurricular activities that
promote their growth.
Restricting when teens • Protects teens from having to work • Limits ability to compete
may work. instead of going to school. with older people who can
• Prevents teens from having to work more hours.
work late and get up early for • Limits choice to work late or
school. early.
• Protects teens’ health.
• Protects teens from being at work
late, when crimes are most likely
to happen.
Limiting the age at • Protects children from child labor • Keeps children from
which a person may and abuse. earning money sooner.
start working. • Ensures that children will most • Limits freedom and choice.
likely be in school. • Limits children who are
• Allows children to enjoy their capable and desire to work.
childhoods. • Limits families who need
• Allows children to learn and better the extra income.
themselves.
• Protects children from jobs that
may injure them.
Prohibiting jobs that • Prevents teens from being in • Limits the type of jobs
involve driving or situations in which they may hurt teens can have.
other high-risk tasks. themselves or others. • Limits independence and
• Protects teens from being given freedom to choose jobs.
the worst jobs because they are
young or new.
• Protects teens from being hurt by
other careless workers.
Name: ____________________________________ Class Period: _____________
S.A.F.E. Communication Skills Worksheet

Directions: Read each statement carefully. Using the S.A.F.E. communication skills, decide if this statement
is written in a positive or negative manner. If the statement is negative, rewrite it to address this issue with
your employer in a positive way.
1. All you care about is making money. You won’t spend the money for the right equipment. No
wonder people are getting hurt.
Positive or Negative Statement?___________________

Rewrite?:
2. If we trained people on how to use the hot oil fryer, less people would be burned. The restau-
rant would save money, and your workers would be happier.
Positive or Negative Statement?__________________

Rewrite?:
3. I don’t feel comfortable climbing this ladder and working from this height. Could I do an-
other job that doesn’t involve working high above the ground?

Rewrite?:
4. You can’t make me work any more hours. If you do, I’ll quit.

Rewrite?:
5. I’m just 15, and I’m not getting paid enough money in this nursing home to lift that person.

Rewrite?:
Teacher’s Key: S.A.F.E. Communication Skills Worksheet
Directions: Read each statement carefully. Using the S.A.F.E. communication skills, decide if this statement
is written in a positive or negative manner. If the statement is negative, rewrite it so that it addresses this
issue with your employer in a positive way.
1. All you care about is making money. You won’t spend the money for the right equipment. No
wonder people are getting hurt.
Positive or Negative Statement? Negative
Suggestion: It seems we could reduce the number of people getting hurt here, if we spent some money for
safety equipment. If less people got hurt, we could be more productive and serve our customers better.
2. If we trained people on how to use the hot oil fryer, less people would be burned. The restau-
rant would save money, and your workers would be happier.
Positive or Negative Statement? Positive
3. I don’t feel comfortable climbing this ladder and working from this height. Could I do an-
other job that doesn’t involve working high above the ground?
Positive or Negative Statement? Positive
4. You can’t make me work any more hours. If you do, I’ll quit.
Suggestion: I’ve already worked the maximum number of hours I’m allowed to by law. Working any more
hours today would be against the law.
5. I’m just 15, and I’m not getting paid enough money in this nursing home to lift that person.
Suggestion: In my orientation, I was told that I’m too young to lift residents in the nursing home. I could
find another aide to help you lift this person.
Fact:
Employers are not
Students practice the basic skills 1. Every worker has the right
needed to address workplace and responsibility to allowed to discriminate
safety issues through a role-play address safety concerns in against employees who
exercise. They also identify the workplace.
barriers and solutions to over- have excercised their
coming challenges when ad- 2. An employer does not have rights under the Occupa-
dressing safety concerns in the the legal right to fire an
workplace. employee, if the employee tional Safety and Health
refuses to work in a Act of 1970. In addition,
situation in which danger
Learner Outcomes: is imminent.
an employee has the
Students will be able to do the right to anonymously file
following: 3. Employees can take basic a workplace complaint.
steps to address unsafe
1. Describe the steps that are work conditions.
helpful in resolving work-
place safety issues. 4. Workplace safety can be
achieved through coopera-
2. Demonstrate these steps tive problem-solving.
effectively in resolving KEY TO SYMBOLS:
workplace safety issues.
3. Perceive the importance of OVERHEADS

addressing unsafe work
issues with their employers.
4. Apply these steps to real-life HANDOUTS

work situations.
SUPPLIES
NOTABLE
FACTS
TEACHER
TIPS
Work Safe, Work Smart 9.1 Lesson 9: Putting Work Safety into Practice
Needed: 1. Read through the S.A.F.E. steps (from Lesson 8) again, so you can
❑ Overhead 8.2 discuss each step briefly. These steps help workers when addressing
❑ “Role-play Scenarios” workplace safety issues.
❑ Scissors
❑ “Role-play Scenarios 2. Think through the responses you will give as the employer in each
Worksheet” (one per role-play.
student)
❑ “Performance Criteria 3. Copy the role-play scenarios and cut them apart. Make copies of the
and Checklist” found “Role-play Scenarios Worksheet.”
in Lesson 6 (one per
student) 4. Make some extra copies of the role-play scenarios, in case students
❑ “Putting Work Safety need to use them for their in-class writing assignment.
Into Practice, In-Class
Assignment” (one per
student)
Directions:
Workplace Safety Role-play (35 minutes)
1. Explain:
During our last class, we talked about the S.A.F.E. steps
you can take to address workplace safety issues. What
were these steps?
2. Place overhead 8.2 on the overhead projector but keep it covered with a
sheet of paper as you begin this review. As students list the steps,
uncover them on the overhead. Briefly discuss each step as it is men-
tioned. The steps are as follows:
OVERHEAD 8.2
S = SEE the safety issue.
A = ASK the right person for help.
F = FIND a solution.
E = EMPHASIZE the positive.
Briefly review some examples of positive responses to workplace

problems.
3. Say:
Today we are going to practice putting these S.A.F.E. steps
into practice.
“ROLE-PLAY SCENARIOS”
AND “ROLE-PLAY SCENARIOS 4. Divide the class into pairs. Give each pair one of the “Role-play Sce-
WORKSHEET” narios.” Some pairs may end up with the same scenario, depending
upon the size of your class. Also give each person a copy of the “Role-
play Scenarios Worksheet.”
Lesson 9: Putting Work Safety into Practice 9.2 Work Safe, Work Smart
5. Explain:
I would like each pair to imagine you are coworkers. You
are both trying to figure out how to deal with an unsafe
work situation. Begin your discussion of the situation by
filling out this worksheet. Decide what the safety issue is
and the various options you have for dealing with the
situation. TEACHER TIP:
Other ways to do this
Then think through how you will choose an option. Maybe exercise:
you would suggest a solution that would be the safest
1. Have one pair act
choice. Maybe you would suggest the least expensive solu- out their role-play
tion. Decide for yourself how you will pick one option over with you in front of
another. For this exercise, the only option you cannot pick the whole class.
is to quit. Each of you will hand in your worksheet at the 2. Have two pairs
end of the class period. Discuss the situation together, but take turns role-
fill out your sheet individually. playing for each
other. Do the role-
plays a couple of
Once you have decided what you should do about the situa- times with different
tion, walk through the S.A.F.E. steps and talk about how employer responses.
you would address the problem with your employer. Prac-
tice a brief conversation you both would have with your
employer to resolve the issue. Each pair will act out their
role-play, while I or other students play the role of your
employer. As the employer, I or we may be concerned,
unconcerned, angry, or annoyed. Do your best to deal with
the situation as it arises.
6. Allow groups about seven minutes to discuss their scenarios, fill in

their worksheets, and come up with conversations.
7. Explain:
While you are waiting to do your role-play with me, I want
you to do an in-class assignment that is due at the end of
the class period. “PUTTING WORK SAFETY INTO
PRACTICE, IN-CLASS
Pass out the homework assignment handout. Read through the hand- ASSIGNMENT”
out and answer any questions students may have.
Students can chose to write about a real life example, if they have one,
or use information from situations discussed in the class sessions. The
student essays should thoroughly describe the safety situation and how
the student would apply the S.A.F.E. steps to that situation. The
essays should also describe the type of opposition being faced, and how
they would deal with this opposition.
8. When all the pairs are ready, ask each pair to meet with you one at a time.
Set up chairs at the front of the room, so the three of you can meet. You will
be playing the role of their employer, while they play the role of your employ-
ees. Each pair should briefly role-play their conversation with you. As the
employer, you will be responding to the pair’s concerns. After each pair is
done, have a brief discussion about how they handled the situation.
9. After all the groups are done, briefly discuss students’ experiences with this
exercise. Possible discussion questions:
• Was this exercise easy or difficult? Remind students that all such con-
flicts may be difficult.
• Would you do anything differently next time?
Real-Life Workplace Safety Issues

(15 minutes)
1. Explain:
If you had to address an unsafe workplace situation, how would
you use the S.A.F.E. steps and material from the previous class
lessons? I would like you to talk about specific work situations
you have experienced.
2. Ask for volunteers to discuss specific work situations they have experienced.
If you assigned the in-class assignment, have students read their essays. Talk
about each situation and how they could have used the S.A.F.E. steps. Dis-
cuss any barriers the students must address to resolve the unsafe working
conditions. Go through as many examples as time allows. Have students turn
in their in-class assignments, if you had them do this exercise in writing.
3. Explain:
Every worker has the right and responsibility to address safety
concerns in the workplace. In most cases, your employer will
respond positively to your suggestions. Employers benefit when
employees are safe too. Less injuries mean less time lost on the
job and less money spent for medical expenses.
It is important to remember that an employer does not have the

legal right to fire you, if you bring up safety issues at work. You
have the right to work in a safe workplace.
You are also responsible for being safe at work. I hope you will
put all you have learned about worker safety into practice. I
hope you will all do as much as you can to work safe and work
smart.
4. After this session, fill out the “Performance Criteria and Checklist” (found in
Lesson 6) for each student based on the quality of their work in completing
the tasks outlined on the form. These tasks and criteria apply to most activi-
ties in Lessons 6 through 9.
Role-play Scenarios
Scenario # 1:
You work in a fast-food restaurant, and your employer asks you to stay until closing on
many nights. You do not get home until midnight and must get up for school by 6 a.m. the
next day. You are very tired at school and work.
Yesterday, another employee at work was tired and in a hurry to go home. Because of this,
he did not let the hot oil cool down enough before removing it, and he was burned. Other
coworkers are also concerned about the hours they are asked to work.
Scenario # 2:
You work for a grain elevator in town. It is a very dusty work environment. You usually
wear a respirator while you work, but today when you arrive, all the respirators are gone.
Your supervisor asks you to work anyway, because the workload is really backed up. The
job must get done today and cannot wait for the new order of respirators to arrive. Respi-
rators can be purchased at a hardware store but are more expensive than when the com-
pany buys them in bulk.
Scenario # 3:
You work for a landscaping firm and often ride from site to site in a company truck. One
of your coworkers, who is old enough to drive on the job, drives the truck. He is a very
reckless driver and takes many chances when out of view of your supervisor. You feel very
unsafe when riding with him.
Scenario # 4:
You are working on a local farm. The farmer has just started spraying pesticides on his
fields, and he has asked you to handle the pesticide containers and sprayers. Neither of
you received gloves or respirators or had any training.
The farmer is in a hurry to get the job done before it rains. Rain is expected throughout
the remainder of the week. If you ask for gloves and respirators, the farmer will have to
go buy these supplies. You could lose several hours of work time.
Role-play Scenarios (continued)
Scenario # 5:
Both of you work at a local convenience store. Your supervisor has just decided to make
each of you take turns working alone in the store in the evenings. This decision makes
both of you very nervous. Someone could rob you or assault you, and no one would know.
Since your employer trusts you, she specifically wants you both to work the evening shift
but doesn’t want to have more than one employee working at one time.
Scenario # 6:
You are working as health assistants at a local hospital. You work closely with one of the
nursing staff there. She is always in a hurry and asks you to take a lot of risks when
working with patients, such as not wearing gloves and handling used needles very care-
lessly.
Whenever you make suggestions or question her judgment, she brushes you both off and
says you do not know anything. You are only teenagers.
Scenario # 7:
You just got summer jobs mowing alongside county roads. Your supervisor asks you both
to mow a hillside with a very steep embankment. You notice the tractors have no rollover
protection.
Several teenagers applied for these jobs, because they pay very well. Your supervisor
chose you both on a trial basis to see if you could handle the job.
Scenario # 8:
You got a job detasseling corn. You work very long hours. On some days, it is incredibly
hot work. Your employer is not around very much. She has not supplied you with water
or shade, bathroom facilities, or a vehicle to ride in, if someone should get sick or injured.
Name: _______________________________________ Class Period: ____________
Role-play Scenarios Worksheet

Question # 1: What is the safety hazard in this situation?
Question # 2: Who should you talk to about this situation?
Question # 3: Are there any laws that would protect you in this situation?
Question # 4: List at least three options for handling this situation?
Question # 5: What do you think is the best option?
Question # 6: Who else might help you deal with this safety or health concern?
Now use the S.A.F.E. steps on the overhead to help you prepare for your
role-play presentation.
Name: _______________________________________ Class Period: ____________
Putting Work Safety Into Practice

In-Class Assignment
Write a one- to two-page essay about a safety hazard you’ve experienced at work or
learned about in one of the previous lessons. How would you argue for correction of the
hazard, if your employer voiced one of the following objections?
1. I can’t afford to make the safety changes.
2. The safety changes will make the job go slower and time is money.
3. We’ve always done it that way here and nobody has ever gotten hurt. Why should we change?
Use the S.A.F.E. strategies and materials from prior lessons to make your case.
Glossary
Absorption: To take a substance into the body, Ergonomics: Practices that make a job fit the worker
usually through the skin. instead of force the worker to fit the job.
Acute injury or illness: An illness or injury Fair Labor Standards Act: Enacted in 1938, this
that happens immediately after exposure to a act protects the rights of all workers, including
hazard. Acute illnesses and injuries are usually children. The act played an important role in making
short-term. the workplace safer for children.
Administrative controls: Rules, regulations, Grain bin: A container in which grain is stored.
or procedures to control or limit employees’
exposures to potential hazards. Hazard: Anything that can harm a person—physi-
cally or mentally.
Benefits: Positive contribution to a person’s
life; advantages. Hazard map: A map showing the location of hazards
in a workplace.
Cardboard compactor: A machine that
crushes cardboard boxes and ties them into Hypothermia: An illness caused by loss of heat in
bundles. Bundles are then more easily recycled. the body.
Child labor laws: Laws that protect children’s Illness: The condition of being in poor health; sick-
rights in the workplace. ness; disease.
Chronic injury or illness: An illness or injury Ingestion: Taking a substance into the body through
that persists over time. the mouth; swallowing.
Combine: A machine used for harvesting and Inhalation: To breathe a substance into one’s lungs.
threshing grain. Substances that are inhaled may then spread to the
bloodstream.
Confined space: Any space with limited
openings and poor ventilation that can cause Injury: Harm or damage done to a person’s body.
harm due to toxic gases or lack of oxygen.
Limitations: Restrictions or negative results of an
Decibels: The units by which the intensity of action, such as the enactment of a law.
sound is measured.
Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS): Detailed
Dust: Tiny particles of solids. information sheet on chemicals and their ingredients,
safety precautions, and use. MSDS generally are
Ear protection: Hearing protection, usually prepared and made available by chemical manufac-
earplugs or earmuffs. turers.
Engineering controls: Protective measures Microorganisms: Microscopic organisms such as

taken to prevent exposure to a hazard by bacteria, viruses, and molds.
changing the equipment or instruments that are
used to do a job.
Work Safe, Work Smart 10.1 Additional Materials

Permanent injuries or illnesses: Injuries or ees or outside consultants, who work to create a safer
illnesses that remain with a person for the rest workplace for a particular business or organization.
of his or her life.
Temporary injuries or illnesses: Injuries or ill-
Personal protective equipment: Equipment nesses that last a short period of time.
workers wear to act as barriers between them-
selves and hazards. Vapors: Tiny drops of liquid suspended in the air.
Power takeoff: A rotating shaft that powers a Worker safety laws: Laws that protect the health
moving piece of equipment, often seen on a and safety of workers, including children.
farm.
Workplace hazard: Anything in the workplace that
Prevention strategy: A variety of actions that can harm a person—physically or mentally.
can be taken to prevent injuries or illnesses
from happening in the workplace. Administra- Workplace biological hazard: Hazards in the
tive controls, building barriers, and communica- workplace caused by contact with living things or
tion are three main categories of prevention their byproducts.
strategies.
Workplace chemical hazard: Any chemical in the
Risk: The chance that an injury or illness will workplace that can cause injuries or illnesses.
happen given certain workplace conditions.
Workplace physical hazard: Hazards in the work-
Routes of entry: The different ways hazardous place caused by the transfer of energy from one object
substances can get into the body. to another.
Safety action plan: A guide that is used to

implement safety changes in the workplace.
Safety team: A group of people, either employ-
Additional Materials 10.2 Work Safe, Work Smart

Worker Safety and Health Education
Resources
Government Agencies
• National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) –

NIOSH is the federal agency responsible for conduction research and making
recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. This
agency is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/
• U. S. Department of Labor – The mission of this federal agency is to

foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and
retirees of the United States: improve working conditions; advance opportu-
nities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and
rights.
http://www.dol.gov/
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) - OSHA was

created by Congress to assure safe and healthful working conditions for men
and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training,
outreach, education and assistance. This agency is part of the United States
Department of Labor.
http://www.osha.gov/
• Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) – The DLI is

responsible for overseeing Minnesotans’ occupational safety and health, wage
and hour standards, and workers’ compensation programs.
http://www.dli.mn.gov/
• Minnesota Department of Health Center for Occupational Health and

Safety - This website provides information on the programs and activities
within the MDH Center for Occupational Health and Safety. Work Safe Work
Smart can be downloaded from this site.
www.health.state.mn.us/occhealth
Child Labor Information

Federal
• Youth Rules! This website offers parents, educators and young workers an
easy reference for basic questions about federal child labor laws.
http://www.youthrules.dol.gov/
• Child Labor Provisions for Nonagricultural Occupations Under the

Fair Labor Standards Act. U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour
Division. Child Labor Bulletin 101 WH-1330. Revised July 2010. This
booklet is a guide to laws that apply to minors employed in nonagricultural

occupations including minimum ages and restricted occupations. A pdf file of
this document can be found at:
http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/childlabor101.pdf
• Child Labor Requirements in Agricultural Occupations Under the Fair

Labor Standards Act (Child Labor Bulletin 102). U.S. Department of
Labor Wage and Hour Division. WH-1295. Revised 2007. This document is a
guide to child labor laws as they apply to agricultural occupations. A pdf file
can be obtained at:
http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/childlabor102.pdf
• U.S. Department of Labor. “Updating Child Labor Regulations for the 21st
Century.” http://www.dol.gov/whd/cl/whdfsCLFR.htm
• U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA. Young Workers - you have rights! This
website is loaded with teen worker safety and health information provided by
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Their mission is
to help youth stay healthy and safe while on the job.
http://www.osha.gov/youngworkers/index.html
Minnesota
• Youth Rules for Kids at Work. Minnesota Department of Labor and Indus-
try. Information on Minnesota child labor laws for young workers and parents
can be found in the following pdf.
http://www.dli.mn.gov/LS/Pdf/youthrules.pdf
• A Guide to Minnesota’s Child Labor Standards. Minnesota Department

of Labor and Industry. The document gives an overview of the Minnesota
Child Labor Act.
http://www.dli.mn.gov/LS/Pdf/childlbr.pdf
• Child Labor Laws and Rules. Minnesota Department of Labor and Indus-
try. Minnesota Bookstore. 2008. This booklet contains the Minnesota Statutes
governing the employment of minors. It can be ordered at:
http://www.comm.media.state.mn.us/bookstore/
mnbookstore.asp?page=viewbook&BookID=68942&stocknum=101&CatId=222
Worker Safety Curricula and Related Resources
• Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

(DEED) – Workplace Safety for Youth. Contains links to several curricula
and other occupational health and safety resources for youth.
http://www.positivelyminnesota.com/All_Programs_Services/
Office_of_Youth_Development/Workplace_Safety_for_Youth/index.aspx
• NIOSH – Teaching Young Workers About Job Safety and Health. This is the
home page for the “Youth@Work: Talking Safety” curriculum, NIOSH Publica-
tion 2007-136. Can select a customized curriculum for each state.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/talkingsafety/
• NIOSH – Youth@Work: Talking Safety Minnesota. This is a link to the Minne-

sota version of the NIOSH curriculum.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/talkingsafety/states/mn/
• NIOSH – Young Worker Safety and Health. This is a link to the NIOSH youth
worker topics page. It includes information and resources for teachers.
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/youth/
• Washington State – Health and Safety Awareness for Working Teens. Provides
several different curricula including a general employment safety curriculum and
an agricultural curriculum.
http://www.uwworksafe.com/worksafe/
• UC Berkley Labor Occupational Health Program – YoungWorkers.org. In

addition to other resource links, they link to the NIOSH Youth@Work curriculum,
which was developed by this program.
http://www.youngworkers.org/
• WorkSafeBC – Young Workers at Risk. WorkPlaceBC is an independent, em-

ployer funded agency in British Columbia, Canada, that enforces workplace
health and safety and handles all the workers compensation claims. In addition
to the downloadable curriculum “Student WorkSafe: Planning 10 Program,” the
site provides several video case-studies and many other resources for young
workers.*
http://www2.worksafebc.com/Topics/YoungWorker/Home.asp
• Workplace Safety and Insurance Board – Ontario. Resources for Young

Workers and Parents: This site offers an online e-course for workers 24 and
under. People who take and pass this training get a nationally recognized (Cana-
dian) certificate “Passport to Safety” to show employers.* “Health & Safety 101”
can be found at:
http://www.hs101.ca/homepageEng.htm
• Youth@work – The government of South Australia provides information to

promote and encourage safe, fair and productive working lives for residents,
including young people. The gateway provides resources, factsheets and interac-
tive hazard assessments. *
http://www.safework.sa.gov.au/youth/
• The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Teen Work Safety Tool Kit
– This is an interactive tool designed to educate young workers on important
safety information they need to know to stay safe at work.
http://www.asse.org//teensafety/index.php
* laws discussed may not be the same as those in the United States
Additional Internet Resources
• Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation – National Children’s Center for

Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety. This NIOSH-funded program
contains many valuable documents and guidelines regarding health and safety of
children and youth associated with agricultural work.
http://www.marshfieldclinic.org/NCCRAHS/

• National Research Council, Institute of Medicine. Protecting Youth at
Work: Health, Safety, and Development of Working Children and
Adolescents in the United States. Washington, D.C.: National Academy
Press, 1998. A general report on health and safety issues of working teens.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=6019
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Occupational Injuries and

Deaths Among Younger Workers – United States, 1998-2007.” Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report April 23, 2010/59(15): 449-455.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5915a2.htm
• U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Injuries, Ill-

nesses, and Fatalities.” This site provides a wealth of statistics on fatal and
non-fatal work-related injuries and illnesses in the United States.
http://www.bls.gov/iif/
• U.S. Department of Labor - OSHA - Youth in Agriculture - Agriculture

eTool. Agriculture remains one of the most hazardous industries and
some 2 million youth under the age of 20 are exposed to farm-related
hazards. This eTool describes common agriculture hazards and poten-
tial safety solutions for teen workers and employers on farms.
http://www.osha.gov./SLTC/youth/agriculture/index.html
• U.S. Department of Labor - OSHA - Young Worker Safety in Restau-

rants - eTool. Many first jobs for youth are in restaurants and nearly
30% of restaurant employees are under 20 years of age. This eTool
describes common hazards and safety solutions for teen workers in
restaurants.
http://www.osha.gov./SLTC/youth/restaurant/index.html

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WORK

The following people contributed to the original development of this curriculum:

Minnesota Department of Health

Curriculum Development Team

Participating Pilot Test Implementation Schools

Participating Pilot Test Control Schools

*With additional NIOSH support (R01OH004220) during 2000-2004, a subsequent

Work Safe, Work Smart i Introductory Materials

Special Message To Teachers

Introductory Materials ii Work Safe, Work Smart

Introduction to Worker Safety Issues ........................................................... vii

Unit Framework ............................................................................................. xi

Lesson Description and Preparation ............................................................xvi

Lesson 2: Recognizing Workplace Hazards ................................................. 2.1

Lesson 3: Preventing Workplace Injuries and Illnesses ............................. 3.1

Lesson 4: Applying Prevention Strategies in the Workplace–Part I ......... 4.1

Lesson 5: Applying Prevention Strategies in the Workplace–Part II ........ 5.1

Lesson 6: The Importance of Worker Safety Laws ..................................... 6.1

Lesson 7: Worker Safety Laws and You ...................................................... 7.1

Lesson 8: Addressing Unsafe Workplace Conditions .................................. 8.1

Lesson 9: Putting Work Safety into Practice .............................................. 9.1

Worker Safety and Health Education Resources ...................................... 10.3

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Key Components of the Curriculum

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Lesson 6: Students are introduced to the importance of worker safety laws

Each lesson includes the following components:

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Why Is Worker Safety an Important Issue?

But work also can be dangerous. Approximately 214 Minnesotans are

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The solution to the problem of workplace injuries and illnesses lies in

Evaluating the health and safety of our work environment is as important

Almost 600 Why Teach Adolescents about

Even though adolescent workers are protected by law from employment in

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In addition to fatalities, an estimated 26,500 work-related injuries and

By proactively implementing prevention strategies, most, if not all, work-

How Does Worker Safety Relate to Other

Injury prevention is complicated, because unhealthy or unsafe behaviors

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Day 1: An Introduc- Students will: Students will: Students will:

Day 2: Recognizing Students will: Students will: Students will:

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Day 3: Preventing Students will: Students will: Students will:

Day 4: Applying Students will: Students will: Students will:

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Day 5: Applying Students will: Students will: Students will:

Day 6: The Impor- Students will: Students will: Students will:

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Day 7: Worker Safety Students will: Students will: Students will:

Day 8: Addressing Students will: Students will: Students will:

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Day 9: Putting Work Students will: Students will: Students will:

3. Employees can take

4. Workplace safety can

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1. An Introduction to Students are intro- • Send letter regarding disability exercise to

• Photocopy handouts and sets of fact sheets.

• Read through the hazard fact sheets.

3. Preventing Work- Students brainstorm • Review the fact sheets.

• Make Overheads 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, and 3.5.

4. Applying Preven- Students create work- • Photocopy workplace scenario descriptions